Starless
by Nickolette Harper
Summary: Bella has married to Edward, but changing into one of her new family has taken a back seat when Jacob appears after a three month absence with shocking news. When a dangerous revelation is revealed, will the Quileute pack survive? Takes place after Eclips
1. Party Crashers

I couldn't believe the moment had come. What I couldn't believe even more was how I wasn't dreading it as much as I had when I had first announced my engagement. I was walking down the aisle in my 18th century dress that rippled around me like white water. Charlie was gripping my arm tightly as he took his steps in length with mine. I focused on my steps, not wanting to fall on such a beautiful moment. That's when I looked down the aisle and saw him staring at me. He wore a black tuxedo, completely contouring with his perfect skin. The dark purple bruises on his eyes wrinkled at the edges as he smiled my favorite crooked smile at me, his honey eyes burning into me. I suddenly realized how slow Charlie was walking and wished that he would let me go so I could close the distance between me and Edward. I wanted to run my fingers through his bronze hair and let him suffocate my face with his cold lips. I wanted his icy grip to take me and not let go. I wanted to hurry up, but I wouldn't ruin the moment for Charlie. I kept his pace until, finally, I reached the alter. Charlie, reluctantly, gave me to Edward, pausing next to me before turning to take his seat. I turned to face Edward. My Edward. His eyes looked at my perfectly dolled up face, courtesy of his sister Alice Cullen, who stood like a tiny angel in a pale rose pink bridesmaid dress a few steps from me. I couldn't take my eyes away from his, as though hypnotized in his beauty, hoping that if I was trapped in a dream, I wouldn't ever wake up. I heard nothing but my beating heart and my stuttered breathing. It felt as if I had just gotten up there when the preacher, who happened to be Edward's bear of a brother, Emmett, turned to me. "Bella Swan, do you take Edward Cullen to be your husband. To hold and to cherish. Through richer and poorer. For as long as you both shall live?" None of us; Edward, Emmett, Alice or I, could keep the corners of our mouths down and they curled into well hidden smiles. "For all eternity." was my response with a side glance at Edward. He mouthed "you too."

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. What you waitin' for? Kiss her already!" Emmett chuckled. Edward pulled back my veil with delicate fingers and kissed me, but not long enough in my opinion. I could hear ringing in my ears from his cool kiss as it spread through my entire body. He pulled away too soon and we faced the applause. My eyes skimmed the faces. Many were crying, others were smiling and whooting. Movement in the back of the church made my eyes flash towards the door. Nothing was there, but I thought I had seen a familiar dark skinned boy in the doorway. A man with long black hair, dark smoldering eyes and big enough to take up the whole doorway.

An ache filled my once exuberantly lifted heart. I had thought it had been Jacob, but he wouldn't come. He would never come to a Cullen wedding, not with the Cullens being his family's arch nemesis'. I had learned that vampires, the family I was marrying into, didn't get along with werewolves, no matter how much I may want them to.

Edward's cold fingers laced with mine and he led me back down the steps of the alter and down the aisle. I glanced back at the door, wondering if I had really imagined seeing Jacob in a white t-shirt and jeans, smiling his controlled smile while looking at me before he had disappeared.

The reception after the ceremony felt extraordinarily too long. We were all outside, under a golden canopy that would be the refuge if the dark clouds decided to pound down on us. I walked from guest to guest, talking and smiling, ignoring the judgmental glances or the whispers that came when I turned my back. I knew I was young to be getting married, but that wasn't any more their business than my new family's eating habits.

Finally only 30 minutes before we would have to call it a day and everyone would go home. The guests had significantly thinned out and only a few remained. I sighed and sat down on one of the foldable metal chairs, allowing my head to fall back and look up at the golden material of the tent as a thin patter of rain was kept from me.

"Bella Swan? Excuse me, Cullen?" a beautiful voice called to my mental wonderings. A voice I didn't recognize. I raised my head up to look at the one who had called me from my calm and quiet moment of peace. A beautiful young woman with dark auburn skin that stretched across her tall frame and black hair that flowed down to the small of her back was standing in front of me, shyly. She was muscular, not an ounce of fat on her long legged figure, which she hid modestly in a long sky blue dress that contrasted beautifully with her skin. She had high cheek bones, a defined jaw, a round little nose and full lips. Her face was almost inhuman in it's beauty and wild in its appearance.

I sat up properly and tried not to stare, but failed. I got a strange vibe from her as she averted her eyes from mine in a timid manner. Though she looked withdrawn, I sensed a feel of superiority in her stance. Something dangerous behind that childlike demeanor. Wild and uncontrollable.

Though the high heels she wore seemed to be causing her a lot of pain, her grace made her look as though she could remain in them all day. She was obviously not accustomed to wearing a dress either, cuz she kept fidgeting in the gorgeous gown, but it suited her and looked stunning on her.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you and I have met before." I murmured embarrassed. I knew I had never seen this woman before but she apparently knew me. She smiled softly before taking a seat next to me. "How do you know me?" I asked, honestly curious and hoping not to come across as rude.

Because she had been looking towards the ground when she first spoke, or looking anywhere but my eyes, as she turned her eyes to look into mine, I was hit with the full impact of them. Her eyes were a striking shade of light blue even fairer than her dress that burned through me as she looked at me behind her long lashes. The pupils were very dilated, animal like and threatening. I felt my heart jump and heard my breath stutter as those blue pools almost glared at me from that delicate face. Her smile, as though reading my discomfort, took a heavy turn and a painful edge as she broke eye contact. I heard the swoosh of the air escaping my lungs. "You have never met me before, but I know so much about you Bella." she answered in a smooth, clear tone.

I didn't know if I should laugh or be freaked out by that. I had been hunted down by a sadistic vampire, been stalked by his mate, and had almost died on way too many occasions to not be freaked out by her sentiment. I chose to laugh, but it came out with a hysterical border to it that she had to have caught. Her eyes popped open as she looked back at me in horror, but then she instantly calmed and laughed a heavy chuckle in the back of her throat. It sounded distinctly familiar to me. "Sorry, let me rephrase. Jacob told me about you." she paused to glance at my reaction. I knew I had stiffened at Jacob's name. I had been so worried about my young friend since he had disappeared 3 months ago that I had sworn I had seen him at the church earlier that day. Though no one had said it out loud, I knew it had been because of me. That fact made his departure hurt so much more. And now, hearing his name again, reopened the wound.

Realization finally hit me and swept across my face. "You know Jacob? He's here?" I asked a little too eagerly. I saw the woman's jaw tighten but then a mask of calm that seemed frighteningly familiar covered her face. "He's in La Push and is very sad he couldn't make it for the wedding. He needed to take care of some things with Sam before he could get away.

She should be here in a little while though." She suddenly held out her hand to me. "My name is Rachel." Before I could grasp her hand, Edward was next to me, his eyes edgy and anxious. His eyes were strictly on the woman next to me and I heard a hiss escape his lips. I was horrified by his reaction and looked back towards Rachel. Her hands were balled into fists and gripping her dress, obviously nervous if not frightened, but an amused smile spread across her lips, not touching her smoldering eyes that glared right back beneath a furrowed brow. Rachel's leg was twitching, like she was about to make a run for it at any second and her frame was shaking lightly. "Yes, very polite." Her retort was just as inhuman as Edward's hiss, only a rich snarl that boomed around her.

I squeezed Edward's hand to try to get him to look at me so I could give him a warning with my eyes, but his hand was too rigid and he continued to stare at Rachel. Rachel stood with exaggerated slowness, her eyes never leaving Edward's. Her stance, though she was trying to keep it relaxed by holding her arms limply at her side, warned me that if something wasn't done, these two would come to blows. What was with Edward? What was it about this girl that made him look like he wanted to rip her throat out? What was going on?

I desperately looked around for the other Cullens. Couldn't they help stop Edward before he did something to this human and made a scene. I saw Jasper next to Alice, both of their eyes as dangerous and blood-thirsty, no pun intended (they were both well fed), as Edward. Their eyes were shooting electricity at Rachel. Was I missing something?

"Now now you two." came another unfamiliar wind chime of a voice. We all turned and I couldn't withhold a gasp. A young girl with long sun-gold hair held back in two braids and ghostly white skin that I recognized to be the same tone as Edward's appeared next to me. She couldn't have looked more than 15 years old, but I couldn't tell how much older she actually was. She was wearing a flower patterned dress that made her look even more childish than the smile that was spread across her dimpled cheeks. Her eyes, to my relief, were a honey gold.

I was relieved even further when Edward's fist slackened alittle and a small smile played on his lips. Both he and Rachel both took a calming breath and were almost completely at ease once again.

"Eliza Turnheart. I wasn't expecting you to be here." Edward stated in an overly calm voice. The one named Eliza closed her eyes for a second before turning them towards me. I couldn't stop the pounding of my heart, or the blush I could feel creeping across my cheeks. I knew they would, if Edward wasn't so close, probably get me killed by this young vampire. Instead of instantly showing a vampire's true nature to my blush like I had been expecting, Eliza laughed. "Such a beautiful blushing bride you have chosen for yourself Edward, what are you going by now, Cullen?"

She took another step towards me, a little too close for my comfort zone. She leaned towards my throat and breathed deeply. I was glad she was so relaxed, cuz I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe as freely as she was. She pulled away and, for the second time in five minutes, I released air that had been locked inside my lungs. Surprisingly, Eliza looked completely in control when she looked back up at me. "Wow, your blood smells amazing. Ever consider donating?" she said with a playful wink and a slight hint of an accent.

"That's quite enough Eliza." Edward said, pulling me towards his body. "Aw, I was just having some fun. You know, to loosen the tension." Eliza said, slightly hurt. Her face looked so beautiful even with the tearful expression . Rachel took a step towards Eliza, Edward's eyes following each step cautiously.

When a deeper calm found it's way to Edward's face, it was obvious to me that it was from spying on their minds. Even so, he seemed puzzled as he kept staring at Rachel's hardened face. His eyes jumped to Eliza and they looked at each other for a few minutes that felt like eternity. Finally Edward nodded and glanced back at Rachel. Rachel smiled and stared at him for the same amount as he had with Eliza, though her face was a little more strained. "Trust me now?" Rachel asked as though she knew of his ability. Edward laughed awkwardly and nodded. Only I could tell that his laugh was forced and that a battle was going on inside that head of his.

"I apologize, we just weren't expecting-" "Yes you were. You were the one who sent him the invitation." Rachel replied in a monotone. Her face was emotionless but her stance read something along the lines of frustration and edginess as she looked at my husband. I felt completely out of the loop.

Rachel finally looked at me and once again extended her hand towards me, this time very slowly.

"Again, my name is Rachel. A friend." she stated with a sly look at Edward. I took her hand but pulled it back before I had fully grasped it. Her hand felt like it would have burned my skin if I had grasped it even a second more.

I looked up at her eyes, which were glistening as she chuckled deep in her throat. A laugh that sounded oddly like a dog.


	2. Revelations and Reunions

"_You're a werewolf!" I stated in a whisper. Rachel smiled again before she nodded. _

"_Yup, yup. Our little girl here is a warm-blooded, howlin' at the moon, pup." Eliza snickered as she stretched up on her toes to put an arm around Rachel's shoulders. The action shocked me, not to mention Edward._

_Here was a vampire, practically embracing a werewolf! From my experience with both, this action wasn't something I was expecting at all. I was more expecting the two to go to blows rather than act like close chums. I couldn't help staring at them. My expression must have alarmed them because Rachel fidgeted out of the embrace and Eliza looked towards Edward with a what-did-I-do kind of look in her eyes. Before anyone could answer, Alice skipped towards us, her eyes darker than necessary. All her anger aimed at Rachel. Rachel's eyes returned the glare, but kept a neutral control over her features that must have been killing her. Edward stepped between Alice and Rachel and introduced them. An awkward silence followed as sparks flew from Rachel's and Alice's eyes. _

"_Well, isn't this peachy." Eliza said with false enthusiasm. Alice peeled her eyes away from Rachel to Eliza. She looked towards Edward to ask a question that couldn't be heard. Eliza's face developed a wicked smile that belonged to a child who knew a secret that no one knew she did. Edward smiled as well. _

"_I appreciate the complement, but I'm not a Grotesque Dog Lover, Alice Hale. I am Eliza Turnheart." she said as she stuck out her tongue. Alice forced a smile onto her face but her eyes were colder than ever. "A mind reader. How quaint." _

_My eyes turned to Eliza. She could read minds too? "Yup. You got it Alice. Only I'm not like Edward. He's like me. Seniority does have it's perks." Eliza said with an angelic giggle. "Seniority?" I asked. Her eyes met mine. "Yes, I'm older than Edward by quite a margin. Not only that, but I was there when he was changed. Such a cute new born vampire" she said the other half in a baby tone and stood on her toes to pinch his cheek. "Now look at him. A century later and he's finally settling down. Oh, how the decades seemed to have flown by." _

_I couldn't help my lower jaw from falling. Eliza looked so young. How could she honestly be an older vampire than Edward?_

"_Enough about me," Edward said uncomfortably. "Where's Jack? I can't imagine that he let you come down here by yourself." Eliza sighed. "No, you're right. He's always so worried about me being left alone with a pack of werewolves so close by. I don't see why he's such a nervous wreck. Rachel would protect me from those vagabonds if anything did happen." I caught a twitch in Rachel's face at that statement, but nothing more showed on her face than the calm demeanor she had plastered to her expression before. _

"_He's hunting right now actually with our new family member." _

"_Oh?" Edward fell silent as he stared at Eliza. She did not defer her eyes from him and I wished more than anything I could hear what they were saying to one another through their telepathic minds._

_Edward's face became alarmed after finding a point while Eliza's became saddened. "So young?" Edward gasped. Eliza, for whatever reason, could only nod her head. Rachel's expression, somehow understanding the conversation, darkened and she touched Eliza's shoulder with the lightest pressure. Alice squirmed in her skin at the contact. Rachel noticed. "Sorry to have ruined your party Mr. and Mrs. Cullen." she said with a bow. "And sorry for making the rest of your family nervous." she added, her eyes glancing towards the other Cullens who had joined together in a group and were starting to cross the yard at a human pace. "I will not be staying here very much longer. I'm just waiting for Jacob really." "Jacob will be coming here?" I gasped. Rachel nodded. "He's very eager to see you again. He's been talking nonstop about you since we met." Her eyes became distant as she said this. "Well, anyways, I'll be right back." With that, Rachel walked away. _

_Eliza's eyes watched her leave before turning back towards us. She sighed deeply before smiling sadly. "Sorry to have crashed your party." "Not at all." Edward said with a low bow. "It was a pleasure to see you again." Alice cleared her throat. "Oh, sorry Alice. This is Eliza-" "I know who she is. I'd just like to know how you know her." Eliza turned her steely glare towards Alice. "Well, you would know that if Edward would visit once every 80 years. Honestly Edward, I almost thought you had forgotten me." Eliza stated, the hurt in her voice not hidden. I wanted to reach out and hold her, to wipe away the pain from her eyes. A face like hers should never be sad. Edward laughed. "Sorry, but I have been busy." "yeah, that's what you always say." she said sticking her bottom lip out. I looked up into Edward's eyes. He was smiling sincerely as he rolled his eyes. _

"_Though I must say," Eliza started stealing a glance towards the other Cullens. "-your family has grown quite a bit since the last time I saw you. I remember Rosalie and Esme. But who are those two?" she asked pointing at Jasper and Emmett. "Well the blond is Jasper," "MY mate." Alice chimed. "And the other is Emmett." "MY mate." I turned to see that Rosalie was suddenly behind us. Eliza laughed. "Rosalie, just as beautiful as ever." _

"_Eliza Turnheart. You haven't changed at all. Though-" Rosalie sniffed the air around Eliza. Her beautiful face scrunched in disgust. "-I do recall you smelling a lot better the last time I saw you." Eliza shrugged her shoulders as the remaining Cullens came to us. Emmett was introduced and Eliza smiled a greeting to Esme. "Quite a family you've got now Carlisle." she stated very impressed. "How is Jack doing?" Carlisle asked. "Oh, he's fine. Just got his Master's degree at Harvard for the second time. This time it's in Business." she said calmly. "Other than that, not much has been going on." "Except for the new addition to your family?" Edward reminded. "Oh yea. Sorry. I'll bring the family over so you can meet them soon." "That would be wonderful." Carlisle answered. _

_Alice dance walked over to Eliza. "Enough about that. How did you bare touching that one?" she asked, a grimace on her gorgeous face. Eliza looked like she had been slapped only for a second. I blinked and a smile had masked her previous expression. "I'm immune to the smell. Well, mostly. Rachel in the very least. Jacob still smells like a wet dog to me. It happens when you live with a werewolf for 2 years." "You lived with her?" I found myself asking. Eliza laughed at my outburst. "Yeah. Rachel is a sweetheart, though I never want to get on her bad side. We found her when she was…..running. She had been in her wolf form for a very long time. She almost didn't know how to become human again." _

_That last statement shocked me like lightning. They could forget how to phase back? "It was really shocking to me when she spoke to me. Mentally of course. She asked for help, we did the best we could and, the next thing we knew, we were living together. Don't look at me like that Edward, we aren't like you." I looked up at Edward.. Whatever she had seen in his face was gone, replaced by an empty stare. _

"_She stayed with us, only a few feuds here and there, but then she became a part of the clan." Alice made a gagging noise. Eliza glared at her before turning her eyes to me. "What do you think about it Mrs. Cullen. Do you think that it's disgusting that a werewolf and some vampires would put away their diffrence and live in harmony?" _

_I was dumbfounded. I couldn't find my voice. The truth was that that was my dream. That when I became a vampire, I could still be in contact with my best friend and real contact to the werewolf world._

_Eliza suddenly smiled softly and turned. "I really should get back to Jack. I'm ruining your party. Oh, and Jack wants to know if we can come over to your house in the next few days. He wants to see your new wife and give you his gift." "That would be great!" Edward exclaimed. "It's been forever since I've seen Jack!" "Kay, then I'll bring them over sometime tomorrow. Oh, and one more thing." Eliza's smile disappeared, the liquid gold of her eyes freezing over as she stared at Alice. My pulse was beating too quickly in my chest and my eyes stared unblinking at her devilish demeanor. "Be nice to Rachel. I'm going to leave now in the belief that she will leave this party without having to show her fangs!" Eliza's face did a 180, waved good bye to me and disappeared. _

"_Well, that was weird." Alice said as she crossed her arms across her chest. "You could have been nicer to Rachel." Edward accused. "She didn't come to make trouble." I had to do a double take, leaving me staring up at Edward. Had he really just scolded Alice for being rude to a werewolf? It was a very strange day._

_Alice mumbled something inaudible under her breath that made Edward's smile take on a slightly wicked twist. "If anything, she came to keep the peace." When he said this, his eyes flickered with something that I couldn't understand. A confident, almost sure look that I hadn't seen in a long time. That made me a bit nervous to say the least. What had him looking like a battle had just been won? "What do you know that you're not telling me?" I asked him, feeling the frustration on my face. His face snapped to mine, suddenly wary. I gave him the tell-me-or-you're-in-trouble look. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me desperately as though I may fall apart in his grip. "She's here because of Jacob." he said in a barely audible voice. "I ascertained that when she first got here." I grumbled as I pushed away from him. I wanted to see his face. I could read his face, but he could always lie with his voice. _

_For someone who seemed so concerned about me, Edward's expression confused me. He was trying hard not to smile but his eyes were watching me as though at any moment something would click in my mind and I would burst into tears. _

_I was about to ask him what that expression meant but his eyes suddenly jumped beyond me. They were fixed on a single point, his jaw locked tight and set. I felt his arms tighten back around me as his expression cooled to a detached iceberg. I followed his gaze and felt my own jaw drop. _

_Jacob Black, bigger than ever with his hair pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck, was standing before us a few yards away in a suit and tie. His face was the same as I had remembered. Broad and still sweet behind the iron mask of the werewolf control. _

_His dark eyes were staring at me, a gentle and managed smile gently showing off the dimples I had missed seeing in his smile. Something in that smile made me want to cry. There was pain and yet acceptance in it. It made his face look even older, more mature. _

_I pushed away from Edward and he let me go. I was numb and somehow my unresponsive mind had commanded my legs to walk towards Jacob. He didn't move right away. He just watched me, a conflict going on inside his mind that kept him from coming to me. _

_The inner battle disappeared from his face and his new smile warmed me to the core. It was my old smile. It was the smile he had shown me before he had changed into a werewolf and he fought vampires for fun. Whatever had him glued to that spot vanished from his mind and he closed the gap between us in two strides and wrapping me in one of his suffocating hugs. The warmth that filled me at the contact was nothing short of a sun. My heart felt like it was going to burst at the joy I felt at feeling his arms around me once again. I had missed him so much, and that realization hadn't hit me as hard as this. "Hi Bella." he sighed as he released me. _

"_Jake! Where have you been?" I asked with a hysteric edge to my voice. I had been worried sick that he had gone off and done something stupid, like challenging a group of blood thirty vampires or jumping off a mountain. But no, here he was, looking almost cocky with his smile spread across his face. He lowered his face to my level, an apologetic light hitting his dark eyes. "Sorry I didn't call you Bells, but I thought it would have been awkward. You getting married and me being across the border and all. I was up in Canada. Man it was cool up there." he answered my unspoken question as he fidgeted with his tie. _

_I couldn't help laughing after taking a better look at Jacob. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable in the suit and shoes from how he was shifting from one foot to the other and kept rolling his shoulders uncomfortably in the black jacket. He wasn't used to the layers compared to his usual shirtless, cut off jeans, and shoeless attire. _

"_Jake, you really didn't have to wear all that." I mumbled through another fit of laughter. He shrugged his shoulders stiffly. "Hey, I didn't want to be rude. Plus, it's only for a little while." My heart sank. Was he going to leave again? Was he going to vanish like he had before?_

_He must have seen the fear in my face because his hand was suddenly scorching my cheek with his warmth and an understanding look was embedded in his stern face. "I need to go talk to the pack and hope I don't get grounded." he rolled his eyes. _

"_Talk to the pack? Are they really that mad?" I asked, already knowing that if they had been as angry as I had been, Jacob may leave the meeting with a few scars. Jacob heaved a sigh that sounded like it belonged to a grizzly bear. "That's putting it lightly. But I kind of need to talk to them more about Rachel." His eyes jumped up and he proceeded to scan over the area. "Speaking of Rachel, have you seen her?" Whatever was on my face melted away as I saw a new emotion in Jacob's eyes. Eager anxiousness as he looked around for the werewolf. "Yeah. She's-" I looked to the other side of the yard where she had disappeared to. She wasn't there. "Maybe she went to the bathroom." I said to try to wipe away the worry that had simultaneously spread to his eyes. He nodded and looked over my head. I knew he was looking at Edward and my blood ran cold. I didn't want a fight between them so soon after Edward and I had gotten married. _

_Jacob, his face set and determined walked past me straight for Edward. My heart started beating as I rushed to keep with his strides. He stopped only a few feet away from Edward and Alice, both of which looked like they were about to spring on him if he took another step. I was surprised when Jacob suddenly smiled a tight grin at them. "Congratulations Edward." he said through tightly pressed lips, though I could hear the sincerity in his voice. I wasn't the only one taken off guard. Alice's eyes were bulging and Edward was speechless. Jacob laughed and then started looking around again for the werewolf missing in action. _

_As I was staring up at him, his eyes suddenly glistened with the purest form of joy I had ever seen. It was like all the world around him had suddenly disappeared. Nothing could draw his eyes away from what he had sighted. Without so much as a goodbye, he sprinted away almost too quickly. I followed him with my eyes and finally saw what had caught his attention. Rachel was walking to meet Jacob, her eyes locked on his as his were on hers. That look stopped my heart. The same endless joy that had been so evident in Jacob's face was there, gleaming into Jacob's eyes. They stared at each other with such passion between them that I felt like I was intruding and had to look away. Before even a second had passed my eyes were already back on them. Rachel was now inches from Jacob, her incredible height barely bringing her to his shoulder, forcing her to look up to meet his eyes. Her eyes faltered to the ground shyly and a bashful smile brightened her face. Jacob wrapped his arms around her waist and put his forehead to hers. Her arms enclosed around his neck and they embraced as though it had been forever since they had last met. They looked at one another, their lips moving too quickly for me to even guess what they were saying. Rachel's face took on a concerned look and Jacob's a protecting edge. He murmured something to her that made her smile weakly before returning her coy expression to the ground. Jacob lifted his hands to hold her face delicately before he pressed his lips gently and lovingly to hers. _

_I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I could only stare as Jacob pulled away unwillingly and replaced his forehead to Rachel's. He released her face, wrapped an arm around her waist, and started pulling her back towards us. _

_Something cold and gentle pressed itself lightly into my hand. Edward's fingers wrapped themselves tenderly and comfortingly around mine. His eyes were open to me, no longer mixed emotion playing on his face. So this is what he had meant by keep the peace._

_Another hand touched my shoulder. It was Alice, her eyes defensive and confused, with Jasper at her side. Rosalie and Emmett had also taken their defensive positions to Jasper's left, their expressions dangerous towards the oncoming werewolves. I looked back at Edward and saw that Esme and Carlisle were looking at me with loving looks, but unable to hide their tightened jaws as their eyes flew to Jacob and Rachel. My eyes flew around the yard, worrying about the other guests and what they may subconsciously sense from this little gathering. Luckily and unfortunately, no one was around. Lucky in a sense that no one would learn of the feud between Jacob's family and my new one. Unfortunately because now nothing would be holding them back from going to blows._

_Jacob and Rachel kept their distance at a good 2 yards, Jacob somewhat relaxed with Rachel's stance defensive and anxious under a relaxed façade. I could see that standing so close to so many vampires was making her ready to jump out of her human skin and into a furrier one. I doubted whether she had been so close to so many vampires without hostile reasons. Her expression proved that. Though she had been able to fake a smile with just Edward and Alice near, her face was set in stone in a full out grimace. _

"_Everyone, this is Rachel." Jacob stated with so much love in the name that it stopped my breathing. "I met her up in Canada while I was…..away." "I've already met Bella, Edward, and Alice." Rachel said tightly, trying so hard to hide her discomfort. She took a deep breath and a warm smile suddenly whipped onto her face, showing off deep dimples and perfectly straight rose of white teeth. "I am pleased to meet everyone else." She slowly raised her hand towards them, her controlled expression betrayed by the shaking in her arm. I had no doubt that this gesture of being polite was going against her self-control in every meaning of the word. _

_Jasper and Alice took steps back, Emmett flinched and Rosalie glared bitterly at the extended hand. I held my breath as Rachel's controlled expression started to stagger and the corner of her mouth twitch in effort. Thankfully, Carlisle took human-slow strides to close the distance between them and gradually raised his hand to take hers. _

"_It's a pleasure for us as well. I am Carlisle Cullen. And this it my family." Carlisle introduced everyone. Esme was the next to step forward, careful not to move too quickly. She put a gentle hand on Rachel's shoulder lovingly and smiled affectionately that smiled that had warmed many hearts. To my relief, Rachel seemed to relax a little, but she kept her hands laced behind her back to keep I could only guess from reacting on instinct. _

"_It's so nice to meet you dear. How are you liking your stay in Washington?" Esme asked warmly. Rachel smiled as though she were slightly embarrassed. She glanced up at Jacob before looking childishly back at Esme. "I only arrived this morning, but I have to say," she laughed lightly and, surprisingly, at ease. "-I do miss the snow as opposed to all this slushy rain." Emmett muttered something that sounded like, "Then go back to the snow." but I couldn't be sure. However, I wasn't the only who had heard it. Rachel's face and body stiffened, though she kept a smile on her face. Jacob on the other hand, wasn't pretending to hide anything. His eyes were squinted and buried beneath his thick eyebrows, his deadly glare aimed at Emmett. I could feel the chill of the defensive vampires from behind and the heat from the angered werewolf in front. It was a double whiplash. _

_Rachel jabbed Jacob lightly in ribs and the heat died away, as did the chill from behind. I could breathe again. At least, until the danger came back._

_I found myself staring at the two werewolves. I couldn't help it. Even with their control tested and being so close to such a large coven of vampires, they looked like they were perfectly content as long as they were in touching distance of each other. I watched as Jacob fiddled with Rachel's hair, putting the long strands to his face and smelling them before he placed them to his lips. It was almost too much for me._

"_Canada? You don't seem to have much of an accent." I started, trying to start a conversation. Rachel smiled genuinely at my question. "That's because I only live in Canada during the hot or hunting season. Plus, my pack doesn't spend enough time with humans to pick up their accents when we are up there." she answered. "So, are there other tribes of werewolves?" I asked, really curious about that one. According to Quileute legend only the skin walkers of their ancestry had been able to change into wolves. Now, here was a living contradiction to that rule. How many more packs could there be?_

"_Many actually. There are currently-" Rachel thought for a moment. "At least 6 other packs other than the main pack and the Masturi with at least 20 wolves in each. But that's without counting new packs like the Quileute pack here." _

_I felt my eyes widen. That many? There was no way. And what was that thing she mentioned? The Masturi? That name for some reason sent an alarming thrill down my spine. Something that burned my senses and made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end._

"_How do you hide that many wolves?" I gaped. Her eyes darkened. "Well, not every wolf lives as long a life as you may think. We have our weaknesses too, along with our own hunters. Many of those wolves won't live to see their 100__th__ birthday." she said sadly. "Hundredth?! How old can you get?" "Pretty old." she chuckled. All was quiet for a long minute, mostly because I didn't want to burden Rachel with more of the questions that were screaming to be released from my mind. _

"_Why are you here?" Rosalie asked bitterly. __Thanks Rosalie_, I thought to myself as she blurted out one of the main questions I had been dying to ask but not daring to utter.

I saw Jacob's expression darken and heard a low growl ripple and resonate through his chest. He was really ready to start a fight based on the electricity sparking from his eyes over to the vampire sidelines. 

Rachel quickly took one of Jacob's hands into hers and he instantly calmed down. The threat in his eyes was gone, not even a tremor of the earthquake-like growl remained. He was once again completely relaxed. 

"I plan on staying permanently actually. I hope to join the Quileute pack." Rachel answered, her face obviously more strained than before. "_Why!" Emmett growled. _

_Jacob took a step in front of Rachel protectively and glare at Emmett, not as threatening as it had been but still a warning for him to back off. "Because, I asked her to." he answered. "Oh, and why would you do that? Don't we have enough of you dogs stinking up the place?" Jasper asked coolly. _

_That was the breaking point for the mask Rachel had been so good at wearing. Her blue eyes became so cold that they burned through me like fire. The power I saw in those eyes as they glared at Jasper turned my legs into jelly beneath me, Edward being the only reason I was still standing. A deep growl emanated from her chest and filled the air like thunder. Her once gentle face had nothing left of it that even looked remotely tender or heartwarming. It was cold, empty of all emotion except the purest form of rage I had ever felt. The atmosphere of bloodlust and death that surrounded her was nauseating and frightening beyond words. I wanted to run. I wanted to get away from this, this thing that Jacob had brought back from up north. I wanted to escape from the wildness in the stare that she gave to her offender, hide under anything that could get me away from the superiority and strength that resonated off of her now._

_One look from Jacob was all it took for all of it to disappear. Rachel was as she had been moments before. Her eyes warm and collected but her face was not masked by a smile. I felt Jasper take a deep breath and stumble back a step before he collected himself. I couldn't help sighing mentally to myself. At least I hadn't been the only one so badly affected by that sudden change in Rachel's demeanor. _

_Even with Rachel calm and once again under control, danger still electrified the air. Jacob's body was shaking as a dark smile spread across his face. "Because I have every intention of taking care of my fiancée here since her pack doesn't want us to have a wedding there." All was quiet. _


	3. Tension

_I felt something in my heart, the part that had loved Jacob, drop like a rock into my stomach. The warmth that had filled me at Jacob's arrival was suddenly bitterly cold and empty. The scattered rain that fell around the tent was picking up intensity, it's icy drops falling like shards of glass as they blasted the ground in their torrent. _

"_Fiancée?" Rosalie uttered in a calm voice. If the word had come from my mouth, it would have sounded more like an angry accusation to match the unbelieving part of my brain. Fiancée? Jacob goes off for a month to brood over how we couldn't be together and comes back with a fiancée? That didn't sound like him. None of this made sense. _

_Jacob wrapped an arm tightly around Rachel's shoulder and smiled a sneer that didn't reach the dark eyes he seemed to be keeping from looking at me. "Yup. Fiancée. Meaning, we'll be getting married." he said insultingly slow. "Isn't it a bit soon?" Esme asked in her concerned motherly tone. I was glad she asked. Again, if I had asked it, it wouldn't have come out as calm and may have included some screaming. Jacob shrugged. "We're not getting married tomorrow." I felt my held breath release with relief. "We plan on waiting at least a year or two. Just so she can get better acquainted here first." The relief left again. What ever was on my face had drawn a pair of eyes on me while I had been focusing on Jacob. I was finally able to sense it and my eyes leapt towards the imposing gaze. Rachel was staring, almost glaring as she watched the development of my emotion. Her eyes were scanning my entire stature with observant eyes and an empty of expression face. Her eyes burned into mine, like liquid fire that burned me all the way down as I stared back and smoldered my face when I looked away. How long had she been staring at me like that without me noticing. _

"_Well, as pleasant as this has been," Jacob clamored as he rolled his eyes. "-I still have to introduce her to the pack." "What does Sam think about this whole thing? You spoke with him before didn't you?" Edward asked calmly. Jacob shrugged. "Sam's worried about the politics of the matter and how the pack will react, but he seemed willing enough to give it a shot. Well, see ya." Jacob waved a stiff goodbye as he turned Rachel away from us and walked off. _

"_Fiancée?" I murmured as I plopped down on the black leather couch in Edward's bedroom. The reception had finished hours before though I couldn't remember anything that had happened following Jacob's leave. It was too much too fast. A new vampire? Countless werewolves I hadn't even thought to consider? Jacob's engagement? My __own marriage. What was to follow! My head was spinning with the all of it and I just wanted the buzzing to stop pounding inside my ear. _

_I felt the starts of a migraine that showed no signs of ending as long as Jacob's news remained fresh in my mind. Married? He wasn't even 17 yet! How could he be thinking of getting married?_

_When I thought about the way Rachel and Jacob were together, something heavy dropped down into my center. A painful and acidic feeling climbed through my body and seemed to strangle me. What the feeling was I couldn't recognize, but I didn't like how it made Rachel look like a despicable monster._

_Edward dropped elegantly next to me and took my hand in his, bringing me out of the memory. With his other hand, he traced cool designs along my arm, seemingly calming my frustration down to just a dull roar of what it had been. His presence next to me was chilling my anger like a drug. His touch. Everything about his perfection was reminding me once again that I was married. Me! I leaned my head on his shoulder and inhaled deeply his heavenly scent. _

"_What a day." he sighed. He pulled me closer and kissed my jaw, making my body tremble. "Yea, I know what you mean." I moaned. Edward stopped mid-kiss, pulled away and looked at me with a mischievous look in his liquid-gold eyes. "I was talking about us getting married, not our unexpected guests." he remarked with a smile, but I could see the tension in his eyes. I looked away, ashamed. "Yea, great day." I murmured. _

_Edward suddenly had my face in his hands and was pressing his perfect lips to my face, memorizing every inch of it with their gentle touch pressing to my skin. I felt my breath catch in my chest and was soon coming short on breath. He moved one of his hands to my waist and pulled me closer, his lips finally settling on mine. He stopped only long enough for my weak, and easily dizzied, body to catch a quick gulp of air before he made to go again. _

"_Edward" I whispered while I had the chance. He stopped instantly, a growl rippling through his chest. It wasn't so much angry as it was frustrated. "You can't just let them go can you." he sighed as he too tried to collect his staggered breath. His voice had a hint of irritated humor in it that made me look at his face. He was smiling, but his eyes were darkly hidden beneath his scrunched eyebrows. He looked at me. "Here we are married and I'm willing to let you do whatever you want, and all you can think about is that dog." he chuckled darkly._

_A part of me; the less innocent, more wildly in love with my husband side, knew that I was being foolish in letting the honeymoon atmosphere be wasted when at any moment my new husband could decide that it was too dangerous to actually consummate our marriage without me being strong enough to take a direct hit from a bus. It gently whispered in the back of my mind to forget Jacob for the time being and to focus on how lovely my husband seemed when he was agitated. _

_Even with that voice whispering those sweet things in the back of my mind, the rest of me felt that there was something more that Jacob hadn't told me. "I'm just-" I tried to find the words that wouldn't hurt Edward. "-worried." Yup. That about summed it up. I didn't want to worry Edward about the feeling in my chest that seemed to react to the image of Rachel and Jacob holding each other like life lines. "You're worried the pup is rushing things." It wasn't a question, it was a fact. I wanted to know, or at least have a reason. A reason for the speedy proposal to girl he had brought as his guest. And until I knew what that was, I wouldn't be able to put my full heart into the thing that now brought a scarlet tone to my face and sent heat to my ears._

_I slowly looked into Edward's dazzling gold eyes, hoping that I hadn't hurt him with my distracted attitude. To my surprise, he was smiling my favorite crooked smile with sincere happiness and understanding twinkling in his eyes. "You want to make sure that he isn't just doing this because you left him. Make sure he's not just being impulsive." I didn't trust myself to say something with the tightening ball in my throat. I nodded. Edward chuckled and kissed my lips with the lightest pressure. _

"_You sure are taking this a lot better than I expected." I murmured. Edward laughed again. "I am always asking you for more time. Looks like I may get a few days at the very least." So that was his motive for not being upset. My human nature. I pushed away from him and sat at the far end of the couch, seething. "Well, just to let you know buddy, I plan on being changed before I turn 19. So don't get your hopes up for an extended continuation of my humanity." I said as I wrapped my arms across my chest haughtily. _

_Edward laughed lightly and tugged on my crossed arms gently to draw me closer to him. "Whatever you say, love. I've given up trying to change your mind on that remember?" I realized that was true and let him pull me into his lap. _

"_When can I go talk to him?" I asked. Edward thought for a moment, his face seeming a little distracted. "He…he actually asked me to make you wait a few days." "Why?" I asked, my anger rising. Jacob just expected me to accept the fact that he was getting married before his junior year of high school to a girl I didn't even know?! He had another thing coming. _

_Edward took my hand and put it to his cheek. His face was suddenly serious and his expression worried. "Because he's worried about some members of the pack not accepting her and he doesn't want you to get caught in the blows. If there are any." he added as he saw the horror I felt spread across my face._

"_He thinks that the pack may go against Rachel and Jacob?" I asked, my voice cracking twice. "Not Jacob, just Rachel. He's worried that the others may not want another female wolf. Especially one as powerful as she is." I saw Rachel's face in my mind and couldn't match it with the description Edward was giving. She seemed too fragile to stand up in front of humans, let alone a pack of young werewolves. _

"_All this just makes me want to go check on him sooner." I whined. If Jacob was in trouble I wanted to help him. I didn't just want to sit at home and wait for the report or the injury count. "Yeah, but I think we should wait at least till tomorrow. After they can introduce her and everything." I growled pitifully. Edward's arms were around me again. "I know it's hard, but please let us respect his wishes." "You never respected his wishes before." I countered. "Ah, but he was my rival at that time. I now am able to accept him for the…..dog he is and recognize him for his decision." Edward stated as he started to trace designs on my hand again. I sighed deeply. "Fine, I'll wait for the pup to explain himself." I grumbled. "Thank you, love." Edward said with a throaty laugh. _

"_But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop thinking about it." I smiled at him. He rolled his eyes and pulled away. "Jacob, even now you make my life complicated." I laughed and kissed Edward's cheek before I tried to get up off the couch. Edward pulled me back down on top of him before I had taken even a step. His eyes were blazing when I looked into them and a mischievous smile was on his lips. "Worried or not, you're not leaving here with a peck like that love." I smiled warmly down at my husband as he grazed his lips along my collarbone. I kissed his hair and smelled it' fragrance that I wished I could bottle like perfume. I ran my fingers through its texture, subconsciously remembering a time when I had run my hands through the texture of a rustic wolf's fur._

_I made it clear the next morning that I wasn't going to be changed before I met with Jacob and found out what was going through his head to the rest of the family. I didn't want to risk him trying to run me off his land or me accidentally taking a snap at him. I saw the hidden smile Edward tried to keep from me at this decision. _

_Edward handed me the phone. I looked up at him with confusion in my eyes. His face was wary but relaxed at the same time. "You may want to call Jacob before you go storming over there." he murmured. I nodded, seeing the sense in that and dialed the number. The phone rang three times before Billy picked up. _

"_Hello?" _

"_Hey, Billy. It's Bella." he was quiet for a second. "Hi, Bella." he mumbled in his gruff voice. Had I woken him up? "I-is Jake there?" "Yea, he's sleeping right now. You want me to wake him up?" "No no. That's okay. I was just wondering if it would be okay if I came over." Another pause. "I don't know, Bella. Things are a little tense around here as of yesterday and I don't know how the pack would feel about someone married to a cold one coming for a visit." his voice was bitter, cold. It hit me pretty hard and it took a second before I regained myself to answer. "You and I both know that I don't have much more time when I'll even be allowed to be near Jake. Can't I just come and visit while I still have a little time left, Billy?" Billy sighed into the phone. "Alright. But be prepared. Things have changed pretty extensively in the past 24 hours." he hung up without saying goodbye. _

_I laid down the phone as I thought about what his last words. His tone had been worried, concerned about something. Had Rachel's arrival really thrown that much out of wack that the ever steady Billy Black was worried? _

_Edward took me in the Volvo to the boundary line in almost complete silence. His composure had been too tight and anxious since I relied what Billy had told me to him. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly that I was sure when he removed them, indentions of his grip would be left in their place. _

_He stopped the car and looked at me with those dazzling eyes, eyes that looked like they were pained by what I was choosing to do. "I guess it's still futile to ask you to just leave them alone?" he asked, almost begging. I took his face in my hands and kissed him. "I have to see if this speedy engagement is because of me. If it is, I can't let Jacob get married so suddenly. That's what happened to my parents, and I don't want it to happen to-" I couldn't say it, knowing it would hurt him. "Someone you love." Edward finished sadly. I kissed him again. "I love you more." I told him. He smiled but it didn't fully spread across his face. I got out of the car._

"_Take this with you." Edward commanded as he held out a silver cell phone to me. "And don't hesitate to call if you need me to come get you. Here or inside the boundary lines." he murmured. That worried me. "Only if you promise not to break any rules while I'm gone." I told him, reminding him of the treaty and his obligations. "I don't care if I have to break it to get you out safely." his eyes were a lot darker than they had been moments before. "Something is seriously wrong here, something in the air. I don't like it." he growled. _

_A chill ran down my spine and I looked around me, suddenly wary. A breeze blasted right through me, spraying me with an icy mist. "Seriously, be careful." Edward commanded. I nodded and he reluctantly drove off. I turned to face the road before me and began the cautious walk to Billy's._


	4. At the coast

_The walk to Jacob's house seemed longer than it used to be. Maybe because every noise had me looking behind me. Edward's words mixed with Billy's warning was a bit much for me to take calmly. My heart was beating too quickly, my breathing too labored and it felt like I would never get there. But, at last, Jacob's house finally came into view. The familiar red bricked house and shed were a sight for sore eyes and my sore heart. It had been so long since I had visited. Nothing was different, except for maybe one thing that I almost didn't believe to be there. _

_Rachel was asleep on the roof, curled into a ball, her head on a pillow. She was in a huge green t-shirt and a pair of huge cut off jeans that were only held up by a belt. Her hair was pulled away from the nape of her neck in a long braid. Her face looked almost childish in it's vulnerability even though when she was awake she looked like she was in her early twenties._

_I took a step towards the house, cautiously aware of the werewolf above. Even with my stealthiest, Rachel stirred. She stretched lazily and yawned a puppy-like yawn that showed off all her perfect teeth. She rubbed her eyes lazily and sat up. Every movement reminded me of what she could change into. I felt like I was looking at a puppy trapped in a human body. She shook her body like a wet dog and opened her bright blue eyes to look at me. _

"_Hello Mrs. Cullen." she said while raising her arms above her head in a final stretch. "Rachel, what are you doing up there?" I asked with a perplexed look on my face. "I didn't want to be a burden on Billy, so I slept outside. It was nice and cool last night, so I didn't mind." _

_Rachel jumped down and landed gracefully on the balls of her feet. "Did you come to talk to Jacob?" she asked, her voice suddenly formal. Her face no longer reminded me of a sleepy wolf-cub but a professional adult woman. Her eyes were withdrawn, her smile half of what it was only seconds before. _

"_Yea, is he still asleep?" I asked, chilled by the sudden change in her composure. "Yes. You want me to wake him up?" she asked with a gentle smile that didn't touch her timid eyes. "Uh, that's okay. Just let him sleep for a little bit." I didn't want to wake up Jacob if he had indeed come from Canada the day before. "O-okay." Rachel said, averting her eyes and wrapping her arms around herself. _

_We stood like that for a minute. There was no sound other than a bird somewhere off in the forest. Rachel would sneak glances at me, but then almost fearfully look away. She shifted from one foot to the other awkwardly and bit her lip nervously. _

"_Um…how did the meeting with the pack go yesterday?" I asked, trying desperately to end the weird silence between us. Rachel smiled without looking at me. "It went well. Only one wolf hates my guts." I stiffened. "Did they hurt you?" I gasped. She looked at me again, only to quickly glance back down at the ground. "No, just a few unnecessary additions to my vocabulary, that's all. Thanks for your concern."_

"_Do you want to go for a walk?" I asked. I was anxious to get to know this woman who Jacob had so quickly fallen in love with. Maybe even get a quick review of the story from her before I confronted Jacob. Her eyes locked onto mine. Her expression was of interest and curiosity. "You, you want to talk to me? Really?" she asked nervously. "Well, yea. You are going to be marrying one of my best friends. I wouldn't mind getting to know you." I told her. Her eyes widened with surprise. Had I said something strange? _

"_Sure. I guess." she murmured. She came beside me and we walked in the direction of the shore line. _

"_So, how'd you meet Jake?" I asked, trying desperately to start a conversation. "I met him while I was…..patrolling the area." I turned my eyes from the path onto her. Her expression was unreadable, but in a calm sense. Her eyes were a million miles._

"_He was really upset and hadn't phased in a while. He didn't even remember his name right off the bat." "What?!" I gasped. My heart was escalating into my throat, cutting off my air supply as I envisioned a wolf version of Jacob, not knowing who he was. Not sure of where he had come from. The idea cut deep into the wounds that had come from his sudden leave._

"_Sorry." I turned to Rachel, and she was staring sadly at me. "I didn't mean to make you upset." Her face was apologetic but still withheld. Distant. I felt like there was a barrier between us that I couldn't climb. Couldn't break. A permanent wall that was keeping me from getting to know the real side to Rachel. What was she trying to hide?_

_I shook my head and forced a smile on my face. "I was just imagining Jacob in that state." She breathed deeply, and nodded. "Well, he was fine after I nursed him back to health. All ready to take snaps at Eliza." Emily said with a sarcastic tone, but a smile daring to break through. _

_That brought up a question to my mind that had nothing to do with Jacob or the reason why I was there. A question that I had been wondering about since it's source came into my mind. _

_Before I could ask it, we broke through the trees and hit the coast. The change in Rachel's expression was so extreme it was like whiplash. Her eyes were bright and lively as she stared at the rippling waves, her stance relaxed and less formal. She ran silently passed me towards the dark water and stared off into the distance as though I wasn't there. She spread her arms out and let the wind off the coast to ripple her too large shirt and brush against her skin. She looked like a bird trying to take off into the endless sky. _

_She suddenly laughed a beautiful alto tone and turned to face me. On her face was a smile so pure and angelic that I found myself smiling too. The air literally felt different. It was calmer and more relaxed. As though 50 pounds had been lifted from Rachel's shoulders and cast into the never-ending waves. _

"_I love it here." she sighed gleefully. "Yea, me too." I agreed. I saw my and Jacob's petrified tree, bashed by years of crashing water to the clean splinter less monument before me. I walked to it and sat down, Rachel soon following after me. _

_We sat in silence, but not the same kind of silence we had had up at the house. This one wasn't so awkward, so strained. Rachel was in her element, where she was peaceful and her mood affected everything around her. Including, to my surprise, my own emotions. I had just met this girl and yet already I felt as though I was connected to the way she felt. Maybe it was because she was with Jacob that I felt this way. I wasn't quite sure._

"_You look like you have something to ask." I pulled away from my thought and looked at Rachel. She was watching my face like a hawk, reading the intervals and the changes she saw in them. Her piercing blue eyes seemed to stare right through my outer exterior and see into my soul. That was slightly unnerving and I couldn't help a twitch that jiggled the corner of my eye. Rachel caught it and looked away. "Sorry, I freak people out a lot." she apologized. "No." I started, trying to direct her away from the truth. "I was just thinking about something." _

_She slowly returned her abnormally beautiful eyes to mine, waiting for me to continue. I thought of my words carefully, so I wouldn't offend her in any way. "Why did you decide to live with a family of vampires?" _

_Rachel thought of her own answer for a minute, her eyes remaining clear but tightening at the corners. "Sorry, I guess that was a bit rude. You don't have to answer." I quickly told her. "Oh, no. It's not that. It's just, Jake more or less asked me the same thing when he regained the ability to speak human words." _

_My heart sank. Jacob had forgotten that much? How long had it taken him to get passed his pain to form human words again?_

"_The answer I gave him was-" her face scrunched up in detest. "-and this is going to sound a little weird. But it was either them or my family." _

_That sentiment baffled me. A werewolf wanting to live with vampires rather than other werewolves? I was starting to question Rachel's sanity, or rather, her reasoning. What could have been so bad at home that drove her into the arms of a family of her family's mortal enemy?_

_She must have seen something in my eyes, because her smile slowly shrank away. Her expression darkened as she drew her knees into her chest and stared out at the waves._

"_My world isn't like this one, Bella." she whispered. "This pack, their rules and ways, are so childish and innocent compared to __that _place." she said with such bitterness towards her old home. 

As suddenly as it had disappeared, her smile was back. "Jacob had mentioned how curious you are." I felt a steady blush skulk across my cheeks. "Did Jake tell you a lot about me?" Rachel was thoughtful again, but her expression never changed. "He did whether he wanted to or not. I'm a werewolf remember?" she tapped to her head. "Oh yea. So wolves from other packs can hear each other too?" Rachel nodded. "Yea. If we're close enough to each other. Our range isn't as good as those of the same pack, but we can at least communicate." 

"What else did he tell you about me?" I was hoping he had at least been able to keep a _few _things from his fiancée. Namely that we had discovered that we were soul mates and he had kissed me on more than one occasion. 

What I read in Rachel's sullen, embarrassed look as she moved her eyes to the sky. A blush was making it's way across her face now. "I saw everything he saw, or-" she hid her face inside her knees. "-wanted to see." 

My face had to have been scarlet. I also had fiery, angry tears building up behind my eyes. So this is what Jacob had meant by total embarrassment from being able to hide nothing. I felt for Rachel. She had had to see all that stuff. 

Before I could apologize to her for that, her eyes were suddenly up, serious and icy. Her body was tense and her expression void of all emotions. She was looking past me, at something just beyond the trees. I slowly turned to face what she could be looking at, but my eyes weren't like hers. My hand grasped the cell phone in my pocket instinctively as the atmosphere changed around me. It was acidic. It reminded me of the battle ground I had shared with Victoria, the vampire who had tried to kill me a few months prior. But she was dead! I shouldn't be feeling this bloodlust in the air. 

My heart couldn't stop itself from pounding heavily inside my chest and my lungs couldn't help but pump more and more oxygen down to my needy body. I was shaking like a leaf because of an enemy I couldn't see. 

A tremor of the tree was the only sign that Rachel had risen to her feet and now stood in anxious anticipation of what lay beyond the green. "You really suck at stalking, you know." she snarled. I jumped to my feet when an echoing growl resonated from it's invisible form. Rachel took a step in front of me defensively and ushered a growl of her own. It was stronger and more wild than the one of her enemy. It didn't sound like it was made from human vocal chords at all. It seemed to come from a beast deep within her. For all I knew, it could have.

The only thing that gave the enemies position to me was a gentle rustle of leaves. Otherwise, I would have been taken completely by surprise by the sheer silence of the adversary's steps. 

I wanted to go home. I wanted to be in Edward's arms. I should have listened to him and just left everything alone. Jacob was a big boy and could make decisions for himself. Why did I have to go against Edward's warning and come here.

The form walked through the trees on human legs. It moved exaggeratedly slowly otherwise I probably wouldn't have been able to keep it's movements in my vision. Who it was shocked me.

"Well, excuse me for not being an old wolf like you." Leah Clearwater snarled behind a dangerous and deadly smile. Her normally beautiful face was contorted by that angry and animal-like glare. Her eyes didn't even seem to have noticed me. Her blood-lusting eyes were strictly on Rachel. Her shaking form revealing her motives before her mouth could.

"I'm not _old._ You're just still in the cradle, pup." Rachel retorted, a thick and throaty laugh mixed with a rumble in her chest taking any teasing out of the remark. Leah's smile shifted to a wide grimace. She crouched down to where her long fingers were touching the stones beneath her bare feet like an animal trying to corner her prey. Rachel pressed a powerful hand on my shoulder, forcing me to stumble away. "I need you to back up, Bella. I don't want you getting caught up in this." 

Was she really trying to protect me? This woman who hadn't know me forty-eight hours was trying to save me from someone who was obviously out to draw blood if not worse?! Leah yelped a beastly cackle at the action. Her body was quivering violently now, rattling the rocks beneath her. "Yes, protect her. We all know how your dear Jacob would react if _she_ was hurt. How does it feel to possess all your supposed power, and still only come up second best?" Rachel remained unaffected by the bitter words. 

It wasn't until I was in the water that I realized I had been backing away from the two snarling women. Where had this bitterness come from Leah? I had never heard her talk like this. Was she the one Rachel had mentioned to be the one who hated her so much? There was no doubt in my mind about that, but why?

Rachel snickered, her body still motionless except for maybe a tiny twitch in her forearms. How did she manage that control. "Maybe for now I'm second best, but that's strictly because I haven't known Jacob very long and he know me. How about you? Losing to your younger, _normal cousin must really bite." _

_I saw the extension of the rage in Leah's eyes before it ever snapped her body into the giant wolf. The borderline between anger and sheer madness glistened in her dark eyes like fire. I blinked and Leah was no longer standing there. In her place a light gray wolf stalked a line along the forest, blocking her to the water behind and the fangs in front. I wanted her to run. I wanted her to get away. Why wasn't she changing to defend herself?_

_She eyes glanced back at me for the third time and I knew why she stood her ground. She was guarding me, being a living shield from the fangs. Leah may not be after me, but if Rachel moved when Leah was that angry, there was no telling what would happen. _

_Leah yelped in humor at the girl in front of her. Rachel seemed to understand her words and laughed too. "Then let us prove your theory then shall we? If you think you can take me, even in this form, let's see you try." Rachel snickered. She bent down, now crouched down like a spring ready to be released on the balls of her feet. Leah stopped pacing, her feet practically not touching the ground as her open mouth aimed for Rachel's throat. _

_I closed my eyes and screamed as a loud cry resonated over the boulders and was lost amongst the crashing waves. _


	5. Special

I heard the sound of bone on bone, a howl of pain, a mixture of animal growls and snapping teeth, all the noise slowly fading away, but nothing prepared me for what followed. Silence. The calm was eerie, the quiet chilling. Even with the deafening silence urging me to open my eyes to see the outcome, I couldn't respond to the need. The cold water lapping against my legs was the only thing reminding me that I was still there.

A fiery hand on my wrist made me jump and a yelp of surprise escaped from me. Still I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes. "Mrs. Cullen?" a voice no more than a whisper addressed me.

I slowly peeled my shaking fingers from my face. Rachel was standing in the water a few feet away, her eyes concerned and timid again. Her face was fragile and uncomprehending, but unscathed. There wasn't a scratch on her.

I looked around. There was no sign of Leah anywhere. Not even a sound. The scenery was peaceful once again, as though too mythical creatures hadn't just filled the air with bloodlust.

I took a step towards Rachel to see if she was truly alright, but she jerked away from me. She was pulling away, reminding me of the time Edward had been worried I would break after he had decapitated Victoria. She was honestly frightened of me. The look in her eyes was wary, waiting for me to scream and rant. Little did she know that this was almost normal for me.

"Are you alright?" I asked, hopping through the water to close the space between us. Her eyes softened but remained on guard. "I'm fine." she answered nervously. "Jacob didn't let us go at it any further than when you closed your eyes."

I looked towards the shore but couldn't see any sign of Jacob. "He chased Leah off. He'll be back in a minute." Rachel answered my silent question as she made her way out of the water. I followed her to shore.

As soon as she hit dry land, Rachel shook her body like a wet dog, spraying a fine mist everywhere. When she stopped, she looked completely dry. "Wow, wish I knew how to do that." I said with the soul purpose of ending the silence between us. Rachel looked back at me, smiled and then stared off into the forest.

A rustle in the bushes sent another wave of terror through me, but it only revealed a shirtless and irritated Jacob. He glanced my way, tried to force a smile on his hardened face and failed, and walked to Rachel. Her arms were quickly wrapped around herself defensively, her eyes withdrawn.

"Did she hurt either of you?" Jacob snarled. Rachel shook her head with a bitter look in her smile. "Persistent isn't she?" she chuckled. Jacob's arms were suddenly around her in an angry embrace. "Next time something like that happens, don't hesitate in changing and ripping her a new one, okay?" His tone was like a slap to me. It was so icy and yet, such compassion and feeling behind it. "Oh yea, that would make a great impression with your alpha." she retorted a little calmer. "Forget about that!" Jacob yelled as he grabbed her shoulders. He shook her with his firm grip, his eyes smoldering hot flames into hers.

"She wasn't just in this to pick a fight, Rachel. I just saw her mind. She was really going to try to kill you." he spat the last two words like poison. I heard my breath catch but was still to numb from the fight to feel it.

Rachel shrugged her shoulders, which only made Jacob madder. "How could you not care about this?!" he yelled. "You act as though this is something new to me." Rachel stated in a monotone, a stare void of feeling on her face. Jacob loosened his grip on her shoulders and pulled her back into a desperate hug. "Please don't scare me like that." he murmured so softly, I almost didn't catch it. Rachel slowly raised her arms to embrace him back, her expression relaxed at last. "Don't worry. I'll give that pup a run for her money if she tries anything again." Rachel stood on her toes and kissed Jacob's cheek before pulling out of his arms and turning to me.

I wasn't sure what I wore on my face, but whatever it was made Rachel thoughtful before she smiled. "Jake, Bella came down to see you. If you wouldn't sleep in so much she wouldn't have felt obliged to talk to a boring person like me." she said with a strained laugh. Before I could retort she ran into the trees and disappeared.

Jacob and I just stood, following Rachel's path with our eyes. Jacob sighed and his face was relaxed as he stared down at me. "You have to excuse her. She's really shy around normal humans." he said with a gentle and loving smile. For one brief second, he was my Jacob again. Impulsive. Goofy. It was like old times again, only he wasn't trying to plant a kiss on me an was engaged to be married. And, for some reason I didn't understand, the fact the that it was Rachel who had brought this side of him hurt me deeply.

We went to our tree, he sat down next to me and we both watched the waves as they slammed against the sand, leaving some shells while taking others back to the torrent of the dark water. "Sorry you had to see Leah's really nasty side." Jacob murmured.

"What made her attack like that?" I asked, my voice incapable of rising over a whisper. I could still see the fur and fangs looking at Rachel with death in the yellow eyes. Jacob's face scrunched in irritation. "That's what's so stupid. Leah doesn't like the fact that there's another female in the pack. Not to mention that she goes down in the ranks because Rachel's here." "Rank?" Was that really a reason to strike?

"Yea. Rachel is older, wolf-wise, than any of the wolves in our pack. She's a whole lot stronger and knows a lot of stuff. Sam made her third in command last night. He thinks she can help the pack a lot, but she's still too young to be alpha. Not that she would take it if it was offered." Jacob growled to himself. "Which is why Rachel kept calling Leah, pup. Right?" "yup. She's trying to get out of that habit though."

I sort of understood, but this revelation painted Leah in a bad light to my mind's eye. Was she really willing to kill someone over something like rank?

"Then again-" Jacob continued. "-it also could be because Rachel is, well, special." "Special in what way?" I asked. Jacob's face looked pained for a moment, like he was thinking way too hard on his wording. Abruptly, his eyes brightened like a light bulb had gone off in his head.

"She's like you!" he smiled at the realization. I felt my eyebrows twist into something like confusion. "She's clumsy?" "No." Jacob laughed. I loved that laugh. It was so thoughtless, no effort in it at all.

"You know how we can hear each other when we're wolves?" I nodded. "Well, Rachel doesn't have to be heard if she doesn't want to." I felt even further confused. "What do you mean? She can turn it off? I thought that was the problem with it." "Yea, I know. It totally shocked me when we used to run and all I could hear from her was her responses to my questions. Everything else was empty. It was like," he thought for a second. "-talking on the telephone when you're used to talking to people face to face. Rachel only shows what she wants to show and nothing more. If she feels her control is threatened, she just locks away her mind and no one can reach her. But if she's used to someone, she can open her memories up a little bit, though hardly all the way. It takes too much focus and energy.

"It supposedly works on bloodsuckers, sorry, vampires too. Eliza couldn't figure her out at all without permission." he snickered at a memory.

"That's right, Eliza can read minds." I reminded myself. "Hey, Jake." "hm." I hesitated. I didn't want to ask something that may appear that I was going behind Rachel's back, but I wanted to know. "Why did Rachel choose Eliza's family over her pack?" I asked.

Jacob's smile was gone so fast that I questioned if it had been there to begin with. His jaw was locked, his eyes brooding. "I don't think I'm the one to tell you that." he murmured sadly. "Let's just leave it at they didn't get along really well." "So she ran to vampires?!" I could tell from the glazed expression in his dark eyes that that was the end of it. "Now," Jacob started with a sigh. His face was suddenly a lot nicer, less contorted by anger or stress. "-something tells me you didn't come here against your new husband's wishes to talk about why Leah's bitter or why Rachel is considered a prodigy. What's up?"

I knew he already knew what I was there about so I waited for him to talk again. After the first few minutes, I wondered if he really was going to make me ask. But, finally, Jacob heaved a heavy sighed and ran a hand through his long black hair. "Guess it was kind of a shock for you, huh." Jake started. "Yeah. Just a little." I said sarcastically. "I love her, Bella." I looked at him. His face seemed to have matured while he was away. He was looking at me with the most sincere stare I had ever seen before. "Or, at least I'm working on it." I raised an eyebrow at the last part. He caught it and held his hands up in defense. "Hey, we're still getting to know each other." "Then why get engaged so quickly?" I was on my feet, anger rising in my face. This was exactly what I had been worried about. He had acted too impulsively and now was engaged to a person he didn't even know!

"Don't judge me, Bella. I have my reasons. Besides we're just engaged. We don't plan on setting a date until I'm at least out of high school." Jacob said. I was surprised at how childish he sounded. It infuriated me. "Well, if that's the case, tell me. You used to think you loved me. You sure that you really love her?" I seethed.

Jacob's eyes slid to mine, a pained expression filling his face. He held up his hand as though he were going to touch my face, but pulled away. The action seemed to hurt him. My anger evaporated.

"This is a little different." he snickered without the slightest hint of amusement. "How so?" I asked, my tone calmer as I tried to understand. "For starters, my feelings are returned to me and only to me." The words hurt deep even though he said them lightheartedly.

"Secondly-" he paused and looked up at the clouded sky with a smile flickering in his appearance. "This is much deeper than what we had. I didn't have a choice when I met her."

I was starting to wonder if he was trying to hurt me. He looked at me, his smile fading away instantly. He put his smoldering hand to my cheek and wiped away a tear. I hadn't even realized I had been crying. Why did his words hurt so much? I was married to Edward! What Jacob did was his business. But still, I couldn't help feeling an ache in my heart where the portion of my soul that loved Jacob had been.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that to upset you, Bella." "That's hard to believe." I murmured as I wiped my eyes dry. Jacob stood and walked across from me. He was looking at the sky again. His eyes seemed to see something in the clouds that puzzled him. They were glancing off one cloud to another.

"You see Bella, we-" he smiled softly, never taking his eyes off the clouds. "-we imprinted each other."

A wave of emotion hit me like the water hitting the sand. Understanding mixed with relief with an after taste of happiness for my friend stopped my tears. I could feel my eyes widen and a smile spread across my lips. "Really? You imprinted her?" "Well, she imprinted me first, but yeah. After she got hurt it just kind of hit me."

I felt my speedy smile drop. Hurt? An injury was what triggered it? What kind of injury?

"It didn't happen as soon as you saw her? Not love at first sight?" From what I knew about werewolf imprints, which wasn't much, was that it was an instantaneous thing that neither parties could fight. Like a piece to a puzzle that no one knew was lost suddenly appeared and fit into place. A full out, gushy love story, love at first sight phenomena.

Jacob sighed darkly and turned his eyes from the darkening sky to look at me. "You forgot the reason I ran up there." My eyes fell to the pebbles by my shoes, hiding the ache I felt at the memory. The memory of coming to Billy's house with Charlie to console him when Jacob ran away. The thought of how I had known instantly that I was the cause for the sleepless nights and the streaks caused by tears on Billy's face.

"I was really upset that I had lost you. Depressed even. I just kept running and-" his voice cracked. When I looked up at him, his lower jaw was shaking and his arm was vibrating. After several deep breaths, he was as still as a post. "-and I just ran into her. At first, she was just a crazy were-girl who actually enjoyed the company of vampires. After that, she was someone I could talk to. I was able to forget my pain and finally see what was right in front of me. My imprint just sort of clicked after that." He chuckled. I remembered that Jacob had mentioned how imprinting went in stages when he was trying to explain how Quil had imprinted on two year old Claire. It started out as a sibling love that knew no boundaries, became a friendship that held nothing back, and could eventually grow into a love that rivaled some of the greatest romance novels ever written.

"What did she say when you told her?" I asked. "She said 'it's about time you idiot!'" we both burst out laughing. "She had known from the get go. But, girls do mature a lot faster than boys. Or in her mind anyways. She hasn't let me think otherwise on that either." "Not to mention the fact that she's, what, ten years older than you?" I asked in a bitter tone. That had been one of the things that had been bugging me. Rachel seemed so mature. Too mature for the still teenager Jacob that I knew to still be a kid inside that huge adult body. Not that I was really being fair to Jacob, my husband had a century on me.

Jacob stopped laughing and stared at me with shocked eyes. They were practically bulging out of his head before he burst into a new storm of laughter. "What? What's so funny?" I asked defensively. "You! Bella, how old do you think Rachel is?" he asked through his snickering.

"I don't know." I answered. "Twenty-three, twenty-four?" Jacob fell to his knees, he was laughing so hard. A part of me was happy to see him laughing so freely again, but the rest of me wondered what was the cause of it. "What!? What is it?" I growled. I was getting annoyed really quick and could feel the embarrassment on my face. Was Rachel older than that? I guess it was hard to tell with werewolves, considering that they didn't age. But that didn't mean he have to laugh so hard.

"Nothing. It's nothing. I'll let you ask." he guffawed. "Hey, it's almost time for breakfast. You want to come by Emily's and see the gang?" he asked with a radiant smile. I hesitated. I really want to see Quil and Embry again. I hadn't seen them since the battle with the newborn vampires. But I was worried about how they would see me now that I was married to Edward. Would they treat me coldly? I don't think my heart could take that. I hadn't spent a lot of time with those two personally, but I had grown very attached to them. I don't think I could bare it if they suddenly turned on me.

"Come on, Bells. You never visit Emily anymore. She's really hurt by that." My heart melted. Emily. I missed her a lot. "O-okay." I murmured.

Without warning Jacob lifted me up and started running. "Jake! I can walk you know!" I yelled. "Yeah, but not all the way to Emily's. No offense, but you're slow and I want to get their before Paul eats everything." I pouted in his arms, but didn't argue. It was actually a relief that I wasn't going to have to walk all the way to Emily's but it was still awkward for me to be in Jacob's arms. My mind flew to the cell phone and a sinking feeling came in the pit of my stomach. I'd call him as soon as I got to Emily's, though I would hold out on telling him what had happened with Leah. I didn't want to worry him when nothing had happened. I didn't want him to have to worry and sit by the phone every time I came down for a visit during the last few weeks, maybe days, of my humanity.

That sinking feeling just kept coming as we passed through the trees. They were just green blurs as Jacob nimbly ducked and jumped over fallen branches or tall shrubs so knowingly. I looked up at his face. It was relaxed now, no sign of trouble with control. The lines in his face from the permanent scowl he had had only months before were smoothing out and a smile was brightening every inch of his face. Had he gained so much control in such a short time on his own or had Rachel's influence just brought it out of him?

Before I could ask, Jacob's pace slowed and came to a stop. He put me on my feet and took my hand in his gigantic grip. "Come on! I can smell the muffins coming out of the oven. And we're in luck, the others haven't gotten here yet." He pulled me towards the house eagerly, unaware of the butterflies having a field day in my stomach_._


	6. Breakast strain

Emily was just pulling a batch of muffins out of the oven when Jacob flung open the screen door. "Emily! We've got company!" he yelled as he pulled me through the tiny house. It was as tidy as I remembered it and the air was filled with the mouthwatering smells of breakfast. My stomach grumbled, making me very aware that I had rushed out without breakfast.

"I know. Rachel told me." Emily said lightly as she turned around. "Hi, Emily." I said. The half of her face that wasn't held in a permanent grimace was smiling slyly at me. I could almost see her thoughts as she appraised me. Something I would have to learn to deal with, being married to a vampire and all.

"Hello Bella. It's been a while." she addressed me as she dumped the muffins into a basket next to a mountain of eggs that didn't look possible. It could probably feed a whole village and took up most of the space on the table. Jacob didn't glance at it twice before he straddled one of the chairs around the table and was piling food onto the plate. "Wait for the others." Emily snarled lovingly. "Hey, you snooze you lose!" Jacob murmured back as his plate slowly disappeared.

Emily rolled her eyes and went back to her baking. I snuck a muffin from the basket and leaned against the counter. "So, how have things been Bella?" Emily asked. "Good." I didn't know what to add to that. Talking about my new family was awkward and the future was even worse. I nibbled on the muffin as an excuse for not continuing.

Before any more could be said, a commotion outside caught my attention and I looked out the screen door. The first person I saw was Quil, jumping from the green, bigger than ever. Embry burst from the right at almost the same time, both of them laughing. A form jumped into the air and tackled Quil from behind in a fit of laughter. The smile, so carefree and relaxed, almost made it impossible to recognize that it was Rachel!

She was running with Quil and Embry, playing a version of tag that only werewolves could play. Quil was now it and was chasing the other two around the front yard, Rachel always dodging away from his fingertips at the last second. Quil feinted to the right and slammed into Embry. Embry laughed and jumped to tackle Rachel, who dodged at the last second with speed that didn't seem real.

Quil suddenly appeared behind Rachel and grabbed her around the waist to hold her in place. Rachel laughed as she tried to squirm out of his grip. Embry tackled them both and they all fell to the ground in a fit of laughter.

They looked like children! The huge, muscular mythical creatures looked like little kids at a park! The sight was strange but still beautiful to watch. To see the happiness that their hard lives could still have.

"Hey, I'm eating all your food!" Jacob yelled from the table, looking out the window at the scene. Quil and Embry scrambled out of the dog pile, no pun intended, and shoved each other as they fought to be the next one in the door. "Hi ya, Bella." they said together with smiles lightening the room. I relaxed a little. They weren't acting strange towards me. My heart went down to a normal pace and I could smile back at them with confidence before my eyes shifted back to the door. Rachel, her long hair disheveled and no longer in the elegant braid, hopped up from the ground and ran towards the house, her giddy smile calming down with each step. By the time she reached the door, her face was as calm and serene as it had been when she and I had gone to the coast.

"Good morning Miss Emily." Rachel said, bowing her head respectively to Emily before she took a step into the house. Jacob sighed. "I thought Sam told you not to do stuff like that." he murmured with a full mouth of egg. His wolf brothers were already piling their plates as high as his, the eggs slowly disappearing. Rachel glanced at me and sent me a smile that was a little warmer than it had been when we had met earlier that morning. "Hi Bella." she added as she walked to the table slowly and pulled a seat next to Jacob. She pulled her legs into her chest and watched as the food was devoured, never making a move to get into the scramble.

Soon Jared and Paul walked through the door and added to the craziness at the table. Anyone willing to put a limb into the brawl probably would lose it. Rachel never participated in the frenzy, her focus on the conversation of those at the table. Her eyes were curious but not daring enough to actually join in on the feeding.

"Rachel, aren't you hungry?" I asked. Her bright blue eyes glanced at me and a smile replaced the clueless face she had been wearing. "Actually, I'm not really used to human food. Plus I don't want to be a burden on Miss Emily. I'll just go hunting after this." Hunting. That word meant something different for those I was used to hearing it from.

"Hunting what?" I asked, curious what other, more wild, werewolves ate. "Anything I can catch." she laughed. "Usually a deer here and there, but I like bigger game really." she said with returning enthusiasm. Her eyes were sparkling to life right before me.

"Really? Like what?' Embry asked, also intrigued. I smiled. I had always liked that about Embry. His sensitivity to knowing how to help other people feel comfortable. "Well, like walrus seals and Caribou. I really like the chance at taking down a polar bear! They fight back more." she said with energy electrifying her expression with life. Everyone around her stopped eating and stared with mouths open. "_You've _taken down a polar bear? You must have had help. A shrimp like you." Paul grumbled as he stuck a mouthful of food into his open mouth. The statement surprised me. Rachel wasn't the same size as the guys were, but she was still at least 5 inches taller than me.

Rachel's face scrunched up, like a little sister getting picked on by her big brother. Annoyance, but in a teasing manner, was alive in her face. "Just cuz you Quileute wolves are on steroids. I'm average size for a female." Paul rolled his eyes. "It's cuz you guys hunt down everything you eat. You probably just didn't drink enough milk growing up. Now you're bones are scrawny." Rachel growled playfully across the table while eyeing Paul down. "Oh really? Well, as _scrawny_ as I am, I can still run circles around you." "I'll take that challenge." Paul smirked, poking a fork at his opponent.

Just then Sam walked through the door and the entire transformation I had witnessed in Rachel backfired. The fire in Rachel's eyes instantly died out, her smile vanished. She jumped out of her seat, her eyes on the ground as she bowed her head. "Alpha Sam." Her stance was stiff, formal. All was quiet with every set of eyes jumping from Rachel's action to Sam's reaction.

Sam sighed. "That's enough Rachel. I thought I told you last night formalities weren't necessary." Rachel's lips tightened as she slowly sat back down. She sat with a straight back, hands in her lap and a detached look in her eye.

Sam shook his head and finally saw that I was there. His lips pulled into a halfhearted smile that didn't touch his eyes and nodded to me. "Bella." "Sam." I replied, a bit too sarcastically. Luckily, Sam laughed before he ran to Emily to greet her with a gentle kiss on the lips. The gesture was followed by grunts of disgust from the younger werewolves. Sounds that I noticed Jacob and Rachel didn't partake in. "hi." Emily cooed when Sam pulled away. Sam took his seat at the head of the table and piled food onto his own plate.

Rachel didn't even try to participate unless she was spoken to. She kept her eyes down, her seating formal and tight. Her eyes were unreachable and emotionless. I saw Jacob constantly throw glances her way, but she didn't seem to catch them. He soon put down his fork and took one of her hands in his. I saw her take a deep breath and then release it. Her face relaxed as though she had come out of a trance. Her eyes caught Jacob's. A message transpired between them that I doubt even Edward would have caught.

Rachel's straightened back slouched and she pulled her knees into her chest again. She looked at Jacob and smiled with strained eyes. I held my breath as she leaned her head against his shoulder affectionately. She must have felt me staring because her eyes skimmed over to me and quickly looked away when she saw me staring.

"Where do the other wolves go to eat?" I asked suddenly. I had been wondering how Emily had been capable to feed the growing pack, but no other wolves came by to eat. "We have other houses with other members of the tribe who help out. Since we're the oldest, we eat with the alpha." Quil answered proudly. "Oh." That made sense.

I was happy that no one asked me about how my new life as a married woman was going, considering that I was married only yesterday. I think they avoided the subject on purpose, not wanting to start something and I wasn't about to bring it up. It was too peaceful.

With the meal completed, Sam stood. His eyes skimmed the group, letting them linger when they came to Rachel. She kept her eyes down towards the now clear of food table. "Rachel," he murmured. Slowly her eyes raised to his. I held my breath. "I heard about what Leah pulled this morning. I've talked to her and she won't be trying that again." Rachel didn't respond, but kept staring.

"Did you at least draw blood?" Jacob growled. I was mortified. Jacob's eyes were dark, angry, and completely serious. "There'd be no point in doing something like that." Sam stated. "Leah feels bad about it-" Jacob made a sarcastic noise before rising from the table. "Rachel, will you come with me?" Sam asked. I saw Rachel's eyes tighten, her fingers constricted into a fist on her lap.

"No way!" Paul growled while looking at Rachel. "We've got a race to settle. She's coming with me." he added with a laugh. "Actually, you're both wrong." Jacob added as he pulled Rachel out of her chair. "Rachel's going to go hunting. Her stomach's been growling since we sat down to breakfast." Sam's frustrated eyes jumped from Jacob's to Rachel's face. "Fine, I'll go with you." Sam determined as he walked to the door. Rachel's eyes were fearful as she looked back at Jacob but then determined as she took her first step to follow Sam. Silence followed the closing of the screen door.

My eyes crept over to Jacob. He had an unusual expression on his face. It was fearful, angry, understanding, disgusted all at the same time. His form was vibrating lightly, but not to the point where I should be worried about him exploding all over the clean kitchen.

"Jacob?" He didn't respond when I called to him. Embry and Quil both took worried stances beside him as they stared out the window. Paul just looked irritated. "Guess, we'll have to run later." he garbled.

The cell phone in my pocket started ringing during such a tense moment that I almost jumped out of my skin. I took it out and read the number on the screen. "You're husband calling to make sure you're still alive?" Jacob snarled. I glared at him as I flipped the screen and answered.

"Bella!?" his voice was frantic with worry. I looked at the clock and saw that I had left his side three hours ago. He had been so nervous and worried and I hadn't called him to dissolve those fears. He must have been going crazy.

"Hey, Edward." I murmured, ashamed of myself. I should have called him the moment Leah had been driven off. "Sorry I didn't call. I was a little distracted." "Is everything alright?" he asked. I bit my lip till it hurt. "yeah, everything's fine. Just having breakfast. Sorry I didn't call." Edward sighed with relief. "Alright. When are you coming home?" "Soon. I think these guys have had enough of me for one day." "No we haven't!" Jacob yelled so Edward could hear. "Just call me every hour or so okay? And call when you need me to pick you up." "Okay. Love you." I saw all the werewolves cringe. "Love you too." the connection went dead.

I sighed and put the phone away. "You're vampire satisfied?" Jacob asked bitterly. I turned on him but my anger quickly evaporated. His eyes still read worry as they stared out the window. His stance was still edgy and his expression pained. I found my eyes turning towards the window, hoping to see Rachel bound through the trees soon. I hoped in my heart of hearts, for Jacob's sake she would appear with a bright smile on her face and in one piece.


	7. Surprise and understanding

Rachel and Sam didn't return for what felt like an eternity. Emily finished cleaning the breakfast dishes, Quil and Embry arm wrestled on the floor, and Jared and Paul went out for a while and came back. I eventually had to sit down on the small sofa in the living room. My legs were killing me.

Jacob didn't move from his spot by the door, his arms crossed against his chest and eyes fixed on the emptiness outside. His legs were locked and his fingers were balled so tightly that they were white against his dark arm.

The scene broke my heart. He was so concerned for Rachel and what she was going through. He wanted to protect her, but how could he protect her from his Alpha? One of the strains of having an imprint, I guessed. Wanting always to protect them, and not always being able to. Was that how Edward felt every time I went down to La Push? Was he constantly waiting by the phone with his arms crossed and face distorted with worry like Jacob before me? I would have to call him again soon, to wipe away that expression from at least one of the faces I loved.

"Helloooooo, Bella?" Quil was waving his huge hand in front of my face. I blinked away the shock of him suddenly being next to me and looked at him. He was sitting on the ground in front of me, his feet crossed and his eyes taunting. He had apparently been trying to get my attention for a while. "So, what do you think about Rachel?" he murmured. A quick glance towards Jacob let me know he was listening. Intrigued in my answer. "I don't know. She seems really nice but I don't think she likes me very much." I answered truthfully. Since that morning, she always seemed to close off when she talked to me. Her emotions would suddenly pull back and I would be left with a shell of the woman I had seen wrestling with Quil and Embry.

Quil's shook his head with an impish grin that I had seen the first day I had met him. "Are you kidding, she idolizes you!" "What?" "Yeah. When she first got here she talked about how great it was that you were bridging the gap between vampires and werewolves." Quil rolled his eyes and pretended to shiver from the thought. "Then, why does she-" "-withdraw?" Embry finished for me while in the middle of another arm wresting match with Paul. He was winning and Paul's discomfort showed on his angry face. "Yea." I muttered. Embry pinned Paul's arm and turned to face me. His eyes darted to Jacob. With no objections from the second in command his eyes came back to mine. "Rachel grew up in a pack. She didn't socialize with _normal_ humans on a regular basis like we did. She's kind of afraid of letting her emotions out when she's around people because she thinks she might lose control and hurt someone. It's kind of like a mom holding her first born for the _first _time. She doesn't want to break something so fragile." "Humans are fragile?" I asked. "Compared to the ones she grew up with. She's been having battles like the one she was having with me and Quil before we came inside since she was little. All with people with enough strength to kill vampires."

It finally made sense to me. It was like how Edward acted with me. He was careful, almost too careful, not to use too much strength. Even one wrong move, and I could be dead. Rachel didn't have the years of being around other humans to know _how_ to be careful. She was still learning.

"She'll become more open with practice." Embry finished. "Not to mention she's shy to a disabling degree." Quil finished as he stretched out on the floor. "Shy?" I asked. "Completely. She doesn't know how to interact with normal people. Her pack didn't really like living a human life."

"In what way?" I asked. I was close to discovering something about this girl. Get a little closer to understanding her. Quil's eyes darted to Jacob before continuing. "Her pack was more into the wolf lifestyle than a human one." I knew they had to see the confusion on my face. Quil laughed at it. "In other words, Rachel was literally raised by wolves." "Really?" "Yup. Her pack brothers and sisters were born wolf. She was actually the first human born werewolf of her family. Her pack too."

"Human born? You mean, werewolves can be born wolf too?" "Yup. That's actually what they prefer over there. Wolves grow up a lot faster than humans. Not to mention human babies are too vulnerable and can't travel in their mother's mouths in times of trouble." Embry answered.

"How do you guys know all this stuff? I thought Rachel's mind was off limits." I asked. "True, if she wants her mind to be guarded. But if she focuses really hard she can let some things slip through. She showed us as much as she could yesterday. Man, life must have been rough for her."

Before I could ask what he meant, the screen door was slamming shut and by the time my eyes found it Jacob was already across the yard. I peeled myself from the sofa and headed for the door. Rachel was coming through the trees, nothing really written point blank on her face. It seemed to be contemplating when she finally looked up and saw Jacob. She smiled lovingly, took his outstretched hand and pressed against her cheek.

"Come on." Paul grumbled behind me. I was blocking the doorway to four very eager to get outside werewolves. Paul pushed me gently out the door and the boys flooded the yard around Rachel.

"What was that all about?" Jared asked. Rachel smiled, but her eyes were sarcastic. "Sam just wanted to make it perfectly clear that, as the older and stronger wolf, I should not retaliate against Leah if she tries anything further. I should just run away and/or get in touch with either him or Jacob." she sighed.

"But Leah was the one who attacked you first!" I stated, outraged. Leah had been the one who was stalking Rachel and looking for a fight, not Rachel. Did Sam just expect her not to defend herself? Was Sam playing favorites because Leah used to be his girlfriend and had lived there first?

Rachel's smile, one of the most open she had thrown my way, was radiant in a tired and thankful way. She really was just shy, but she seemed to be getting used to contact with humans. Me being one of the first. "Even so, Sam's worried that I would accidentally kill Leah if given the opportunity. He's just trying to prevent that." she said it so calmly. As though it were a reasonable reason. After what Quil and Embry told me, I couldn't' help wondering if killing wolves that opposed you was considered a norm for Rachel.

"Well, if she does try anything like that again, don't bother finding Sam. You come find _me_." Jacob barked. "I'll handle it."

Rachel shook her head. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me. I can take care of a pup like Leah with my eyes closed." her voice was eager, her eyes excited. "For now, I'll play it Alpha Sam's way. But there's only so much disrespect I can take from someone like her. It's not in my nature to be completely blind to contempt so forwardly exposed." her language was so elegant and flowed so naturally that I had a hard time believing that she wasn't raised by humans. She acted more like an empress than a wolf-child.

"Why do you call him 'Alpha' Sam, and Emily, 'Miss Emily'?" I asked. Rachel looked down, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, force of habit. In my old pack if you didn't address the Alpha and his Mate with respectful titles, well-" Rachel rubbed her shoulders subconsciously. It looked like a memory had elapsed into her line of vision and she winced at an invisible strike. She suddenly became aware of what she was doing, put her hand down at her side and smiled impishly at me. "-let's just say you didn't make the same mistake twice. It's hard to stop a habit you've been doing since you were old enough to walk."

"Anyways, how was hunting?" Quil asked eagerly. Rachel's face slackened. "You guys don't have much around here. I caught a few deer, no challenge at all by the way. I may have to go up north in a few weeks to get some real game." "Well, excuse us for not having polar bear." Paul rolled his eyes. "You're excused." Rachel laughed. "We could all go hunting." Embry suggested. "You could show us the _proper_ way to take down something three times our size." "It's not that hard. The fun in it is the competition to see who can catch the biggest one."

It was such a heartfelt moment. Rachel looked like she was already connecting with the other wolves, even though they were from a different pack. They seemed to like her and wanted to make her comfortable. I was glad I was able to see it.

"I find it very hard to see you catching and killing a polar bear." I murmured playfully. Rachel returned the liveliness. "Don't worry. When you change into a vampire, I'll be happy to take you hunting in the mountains." I saw Jacob and the others cringe at the thought, but Rachel honestly looked excited.

"When is Edward going to change you?" she asked, not forced at all. It was like she was asking me what shirt I was going to wear tomorrow. It made me uncomfortable how _comfortable _she was asking me when I would be changed into a creature that was her breed's mortal enemy. "B-before my next birthday. September 13th." Rachel seemed to brighten even more as she contemplated something. "That makes sense. If Edward's going to be in his teens forever, why not you too." I wanted to hug her. She was one of the few who understood my reasons! I was getting very attached to this girl, very quickly.

A thought came to me, reminding me of something from my conversation with Jacob on the beach. Plus, I wanted to get off the topic of my immortality while around so many who seemed to dislike the idea.

"Hey, Rachel." all eyes were on me. "How old are you? If you don't mind me asking that is." I was worried that if she was even older than what I had estimated to Jacob, that she may not want to tell me in front of all those boys.

Jacob tried to hold back a laugh, but it came out his nose and made a really weird sound. Quil and Embry glared at him. "I'll tell you later." he mustered. Rachel's eyes were confused, but she shook it away and looked at me.

"I'm turning fifteen in two weeks." My mouth dropped. "_Fifteen_!" "Yes." "As in _human _years." "Yes. Based on years I've been a wolf, I'm only five. Why do you ask?" Jacob couldn't hold back anymore and was rolling on the ground laughing. Rachel's eyes watched him with a bewildered gleam radiating in their color. "Sometimes, however, I have to wonder between the two of us-" she said tilting her head towards Jacob. "-is older. What's got him laughing so hard?" she asked me. "_Fifteen!_" Rachel took a step away from me, probably questioning my sanity. "Yes, I'm fourteen now. Fifteen comes next." "Fifteen." I muttered to myself as I ran a hand through my hair. My eyes wandered back to Rachel. Her figure, her face, the very air about her, was _not _of a fifteen year old. Maybe a 36 year old. Possibly a sophisticated 28 year old woman. But fifteen!? No, not even fifteen. _Turning fifteen!? She was even younger than Quil!? Embry even?! Not to mention two years Jacob's junior. When was this werewolf world going to stop surprising me? _


	8. Talk

"_Hey-" Rachel said, her tone slightly annoyed. Jacob had told the others how old I had thought Rachel had been. They were all laughing so hard that it sounded like thunder. I saw that Rachel's face was a little pinker than usual, the same could probably be said about my face. _

"_-it's not that funny. You guys look like idiots laughing at something like that." she rolled her eyes. The boys stopped at once and looked up at her. Quil growled playfully. "Those be fighting words." he snarled as he jumped up and ran towards her. Rachel smiled and side stepped out of the way. And with that, all the boys except for Jacob initiated the game of tackle tag. Even with them all trying to catch her Rachel dodged and jumped out of their reaching fingers. A brilliant smile, calm and relaxed, was spread across her face. Now that I knew her age, her expression took on a new youthfulness that I hadn't caught before. Every now and then, in between dodging Quil or punching Paul playfully in the arm, a young girl broke through the mature exterior and showed her true self._

"_It's amazing isn't." I looked up at Jacob as he spoke. He was watching Rachel too. His face had calmed down, he was at ease again. Content. "How quickly she can just move on." His tone betrayed that calm demeanor. It was concerned. "Don't worry about Sam's decision. He's just-" I paused. No matter how it came out, it would sound insulting towards Sam. "-being partial?" Jacob finished, side glancing at me. I didn't answer and had to turn my eyes from him. "It's okay. That's what I was thinking too when I heard what he told her. So, I'll just have to keep my eyes on Leah." he said with resolution. _

_The sun was high in the sky, though completely shielded by a layer of thick and dark clouds. I could tell that, even though so little was said between me and Jacob and now I had more questions than answers, that it was time for me to go. I pulled out the cell phone again and dialed a familiar number. _

_Edward picked up on the first ring. "Bella?" his voice was nervous and yet relieved. "Hey Edward. I think it's time for me to come home. Can you come get me?" I was vaguely aware that the wrestling match had stopped and a few pairs of eyes were watching me. "Of course. I'm already on the road. Can someone escort you to the boundary line?" I looked towards Jacob. He was watching me. "I'm sure someone will bring me to you." I muttered. Edward hesitated. "I definitely want someone safe to take you. Don't travel on your own." Edward's instincts were good. Alice was blind to what had happened and thus he had no idea what happened with Leah. Even still, he knew it wasn't safe for me to be traveling alone. Not with Leah steaming and probably looking for another fight. _

"_Alright. Alright. I'll arm wrestle Jake to take me." Edward chuckled into the phone. "See you soon." "Kay." The phone went dead. _

_I closed the phone and looked at the scene I had left wild and active. Rachel was now on the bottom of a pile up of werewolf boys, all of them looking at me. "Was that Edward?" Rachel murmured as she squirmed under the mound. "Yeah. He's coming to get me, but doesn't want me walking by myself to the boundary line." "I'll take you." Jacob said, just like I thought he would. "Me too. Me too!" Rachel stated. With one burst of energy, all the boys on top of her were flung off into a separate heap of mixed up limbs and scrambling bodies. Rachel jumped up off the ground and ran to me. _

"_You really don't have to. I can take her." Jacob stated, brushing some hair out of her face. Rachel's face gave an involuntary twitch. I wondered if Jacob caught it. It was like a flicker of emotion where Rachel didn't know how to express it on her face. She settled with relaxed indifference. "I know you can. But I'd like to talk to Edward." "Edward?" I asked. _

_Rachel nodded. "Eliza used to go on and on about Edward. About how he was different. I'd like to see just what she meant." Rachel started, her eyes darting childishly. "Besides, Edward seems really interesting. I'd like to get his input on some things." I couldn't help feeling slightly apprehensive about her wording. I wasn't the only one. Jacob nudged her with his shoulder. His face was showing he was just as confused as I was. Rachel smiled innocently up at him but refused to lock onto his eyes. Instead she looked back at me, her eyes trying to look as pathetic as she could muster with her elegance. Her bottom lip thrown out in a miserable expression. _

"_Please _Bella." she begged. Amazing. She hardly knew me and already she had discovered my weakness. When I looked at her, I wondered if she had been taking manipulating lessons from Alice. "S-sure." Rachel's responsive smile was relaxed and genuine. She skipped beyond me and Jacob merrily. 

I looked towards Jake, my eyes full of questions. He just shrugged and picked me up. "We better travel this way. Otherwise we may get there at dark at your pace." Jacob snickered. "Very funny." I rolled my eyes. "Come back soon, okay Bella!" Quil yelled. "Yeah. We need to hang out while you still smell reasonable." Embry chimed. I smiled and waved back at them, though I could feel Jacob tensing his grip. "I'll come as much as I can!" I called out as Jacob started chasing after Rachel.

Rachel looked back once, glanced up and down at me and Jacob and gave me an insightful glance. It wasn't happy. It wasn't bitter. Just observant. She smiled when she saw me looking at her. A challenge was in her eyes and in the arch in one of her eyebrows. "I'll meet you there." she yelled. 

And with that Rachel was already down the way. I rubbed my eyes, thinking there was something wrong with my eyes. But there wasn't. Rachel was gone! Nothing was left behind to prove that she was even there to begin with. No sound of her footsteps. Just me and Jacob. 

"H-how'd she-" I couldn't even finish my words. "Yeah. She's known for her speed." Jacob said proudly. "Only Paul would be stupid enough to challenge her to a race." 

Jacob traveled at a much more tolerable speed, one that I could at least see the shapes around me. The shades of green were disorienting, but I knew I was safe with Jacob. My heart was pounding, trying to release the feelings I used to have for him. I wrapped my arms around myself, to keep the walls stable, controlled. I wouldn't get into that again. I was happy. I was married to Edward! I had to let it go.

"We didn't get to talk as much as I would have liked." Jacob murmured. I looked up at him as he ran. His face seemed to be trying to withhold something. Keep that relentless control. "I wanted to talk to you about a lot more stuff. Stuff that's going on with Rachel and stuff that's got us all wound up around here. And-" He suddenly gagged on something. Another one of those wolf things. "Sam?" Jacob slowly nodded. "There are some things he doesn't want anyone-" he stopped. I knew exactly just who that _anyone_ meant. "He won't hear it from me you know." Jacob didn't say anything after that. 

We came through the green to the road that was just beyond the rendezvous point. Of course Rachel was already there, leaning against the cliffs with her guard up. Edward, inclining away from Rachel, had a serious look on his face that worried me. It was hard, rock solid. But concern seemed to be pressing just behind the icy stare he gave Rachel. 

My eyes jumped to Rachel. Her eyes were playful though buried beneath her frowning eyebrows. She was pressing herself deep inside the cliffs as though she were trying to force them to absorb her. She looked like an animal forced into a corner. Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought so. 

I was suddenly standing on my own. I looked for Jacob and found him suddenly between Rachel and Edward. Edward's eyes jumped over to me and instantly softened. The honey gold called to me and I discovered that I was running to him. 

Edward pulled me into his side and held me tightly. His arms were shaking. I looked up at his face. All the anger I had seen him throw at Rachel was gone, replaced by relief. "Bella." he swooned. "Hey there. You miss me?" I asked in a teasing voice. "You have no idea." he exasperated as he pressed his lips to the top of my head. 

I looked back at Jacob and Rachel. Jacob was whispering something to Rachel with her frowning childishly up at him. She murmured something back before turning her eyes to Edward and me. Her eyes focused on Edward like she was struggling to think of something to say. Edward's arm tightened around me. "Understood. I'll talk to Alice about it." he told her. My eyes jumped between Edward and Rachel. Both of their eyes seemed to understand something I was missing. Jacob was copying my actions, nudging Rachel with his shoulder. She didn't look at him but continued to stare at Edward. 

Edward directed me towards the car and opened the door for me. "Bye Bella. See you later." I heard Jacob behind me. When I turned to answer, Jacob was gone and Rachel was staring up at me, looking ashamed or embarrassed. "Sorry Bella. Please don't hate me." she begged. Before I could ask what she meant, she disappeared into the forest. 

"What was that about?" I asked Edward once we were both in the car. Edward closed his door and sat in the driver's seat, his hands gripping the steering wheel. Uh-oh.

"When were you planning on telling me about the mishap with Leah?" he asked in his too-sweet voice. Rachel. Is that why she wanted to talk to Edward? To rat me out? "It wasn't that big of a deal." I murmured. Edward completely turned to face me. "Not a big deal?" his sudden voice change hit me hard. It was defensive and cold. "Rachel showed me what happened in explicate detail. I think that was a little too close for comfort." "Leah wouldn't have hurt me. Her eyes were set on Rachel." I said her name as bitterly as I could. I felt betrayed, back stabbed by the girl I had just started getting to know. It was irritating that she would go straight to the person who could keep me from visiting La Push for my last few days of humanity. 

Edward's face softened as he examined mine. "Bella, I'm very glad Rachel told me about this." he said calmly. "I'm sure you are." I hissed. Edward touched my cheek and made me look at him. He looked like he was having trouble deciding something. He looked like he wanted to tell me something, but was pondering how I could possibly react. There was more. Why was everyone giving me that look today?

"Rachel told me, because-" Edward paused. "What?" I asked. Something didn't seem right in Edward's expression. "Rachel believes that incidents like today will continue, and that Leah may use any means necessary to get an upper hand." Something wasn't clicking. Why did Edward look so concerned?

Edward waited till he knew I hadn't put the pieces together to continue. "She may go as far as to get a hostage." I practically heard the click of my mind putting it all together. It was soon followed by the shallow gasps that would start me hyperventilating. 

"L-Leah would use me to get to Rachel?" Edward slowly nodded. "Rachel's especially worried about you, Emily, and Billy because you three are the ones closest to the pack." "Emily?!" I hiccupped. Fiery tears were spilling down my face. "She's Leah's cousin! She really thinks-" "Leah's mind is focused only on hurting Rachel at this point." "But she's only been here a day! _One day! How can she just-" "Rachel is a threat in her mind and she refuses to see her as anything else." Edward's fingers wiped away the tears and held my face tenderly. "I didn't want to tell you this, but Rachel wanted me to explain to you why she had to tell me. She's very attached to you, believe it or not." Edward said with a smile. _

"_Yeah, so I'm told." I couldn't register anything. Something had to be seriously wrong with me. Something in my genetics that just made me prone to danger. If I wasn't the direct target I was a hostage choice to get someone else! _

"_But Rachel had a suggestion." I looked up at Edward. "What? Wrap me in bubble wrap and ship me to Antarctica?" Edward laughed. "No, but I will need to discuss it with Carlisle and Sam first. I don't want to get your hopes up." Hopes up? I could use that. "What is it?" _

_Edward's phone rang and he answered it before he could answer me. "Alice?" he asked nervously. He listened for a moment and then a surprised calm spread across his face. "Oh, okay. When?" he listened for a moment. "We'll be right there." He closed the phone. _

"_Alice have a vision?" I asked knowingly. Edward nodded. "We're having guests." he answered. "We'll beat them to the house by 15 minutes." "Who?" Edward smiled. "Eliza and her family. They're done hunting and they want to come and congratulate us formerly." _

_I felt my heart jump. People weren't kidding when they said life just gets busier after getting married. "Coming to the house?" I repeated. Edward glanced at me. "Is that a problem? I could ask them to come later." "No. No." I said quickly, reminding myself of the smile I had seen on Edward's face when he heard that Eliza was coming. I could tell that they were very close, bound together with the same gift that was also a curse._

"_It's just, a lot has happened today and I wasn't expecting it." I answered truthfully. Quite honestly, I wanted to get to know this other vegetarian coven. With so few of them in the world I was about to enter, it would be good to know as much about my possible allies as I could. _

"_So, how many are in this family?" I asked. I had only met Eliza and was curious about the rest of her family. "Only three. There's Eliza, Jack, that's her mate, and Mary. This will be the first time I'm meeting her in person." Edward said tightly. I couldn't understand his tension and didn't have time to ask him. We were in front of the Cullen Manner, all of my family waiting on the porch for our arrival and to greet our guests._


	9. History

I was edgy. Anyone could tell. Shoot, if Charlie was there he would have been able to tell. I paced on the porch, biting my nails and staring over the field Alice said the Turnhearts would be coming from. Every nerve in my body was on high alert, not wanting to be taken off guard. Emmett's strong hand on my shoulder nearly sent me flying through my own skin.

"Easy Bella. You're going to start making me jumpy if you don't chill." he chuckled. I took a deep breath, but it did no good. Edward took me in his arms and kissed my hair. "It's alright. Don't need to be nervous." "I'm not nervous." I lied. I didn't want him to see that, vegetarian or not, I was worried about meeting three new vampires. I hadn't had a very good run in with covens that size and I couldn't get past my prior prejudices.

"That's weird." Alice said when the fifteen minute wait became sixteen minutes. I looked at her, her face was scrunched into confusion. "What?" I asked. Alice bit her lip and thought for a moment before she answered me. "Their path just changed dramatically. They'll be arriving in thirty-six seconds from that direction." Alice stated as she pointed towards the trees almost a mile across from her original prediction. Alice put her hands on her hips. "One second their on the path I saw, and the next they're in a completely different area." Alice rubbed her temples.

Edward's eyes scanned the perimeter. I could see the edginess his contact had taken from me take on new life in his face. He took a deep breath. "I don't smell or sense any werewolves. Maybe they just got too close to the Quileute territory." Alice concluded. "Maybe." Edward repeated, not quite as convinced.

"We'll think about it later." Carlisle said, suddenly beside me. "They're here."

My eyes jumped to the new location. Sure enough two visible forms broke from the trees and headed towards the house at, what seemed to me, an exaggeratedly slow pace. I looked for the third form, but I couldn't place it, not at the distance they were at.

"Welcome." Carlisle said with a smile. Even though they were still a fair distance away, I knew they could hear him. With that greeting and welcome, the figures no longer traveled at a human pace. They became just flickers of light I caught in the corner of my eye. One second, they were off in the distance, barely visible. I blinked and they were only a few steps in front of me. If Edward wasn't holding me, I probably would have jumped backwards at their mind-reeling speed.

The form that struck me hard was the male vampire. He was as tall as Emmett! He wasn't as bulky as Emmett but he was well-toned, as were all his kind. His long glossy black hair was held back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck, showing off the high set of his cheekbones and his strong chin. He looked like a man in his early twenties, wearing black slacks and a formal white shirt that was just a shade paler than his skin.

I recognized Eliza right away. She looked so young with her hair in two childish braids, the flower print shirt she wore, and the caprice with a daisy design climbing up the side of her leg. She was smiling, her honey-warm eyes jumping from each of the forms before her.

My eyes finally met the gaze of the third. Mary. My breath caught and it felt like I couldn't force another. Mary was in Eliza's arms. Her childish face, round with baby fat but hard as stone, looked like a portrait of the angel's drawn by Michelangelo on the Sixteenth Chapel. Her brunette hair was in two pigtails on the top of her tiny head, the bouncing curls tickling her perfect skin. Her petite form was covered in a child's jeans and a black t-shirt that made her marble skin almost look transparent. Her eyes were staring at me with the innocence and roundness of a child. She refused to look away and I was in a trance brought on by her form. She couldn't have been any older than seven years old when she was changed.

My eyes traced their path back to Jack's, only to see him looking at me. His golden eyes, though staring at me absently, seemed to be penetrating all the way down to my soul. They flickered away from me and focused onto Edward's a small making its way across his face. I heard Edward laugh next to me and I looked up at his face. He was looking straight back at Jack with a smile. "Thank you. I think she's beautiful too." Jack laughed and put an arm around Eliza. Her stare flew up to him and a glow seemed to penetrate from her skin. Yup, that was definitely her mate.

"We're sorry for intruding-again, but-" Eliza told me before looking back at Jack. "-Jack really wanted to give his present to the bride and groom. To make up for not being able to give his blessings at the wedding." She pulled a small tube with a red ribbon wrapped around its middle from behind her back. She handed it to Jack and smiled up at him with love glittering in her eyes. Jack stepped forward and placed the rolled up paper into my hand. He bowed gracefully and returned to Eliza's side.

I looked up at Edward, wondering if he had anything to do with this. His eyes seemed pleasantly surprised. Well, for Edward that is. "Open it. He whispered to me. My hands were shaking for some reason, as I removed the ribbon and unrolled the canvas into my hands.

I felt my mouth drop as I gazed at myself and Edward in the canvas. Edward was a perfect replica of himself in his tuxedo from the wedding, his arms wrapped gently around me with his eyes a smoldering gold paint against the black charcoal. He looked perfect, as though he could jump off the fabric and into my arms. The portrait almost looked alive.

But it wasn't Edward's perfection that had taken my breath away. _My_ face was etched beautifully, a photograph only more stunning. I was wearing a sleeveless gown made of the Milky Way that fell to my feet, when were in sandals gemmed with stars. Around my throat a crescent moon was held to my graceful neck by beads that looked like the planets. My hair fell around me like water, elegantly spilling over my bare shoulders. Even though the picture as a whole was too striking to be real, I could not bring my eyes away from the eyes Jack had given me. They were a shimmering gold that burned warmth down to my very core.

"Oh, Jack. It's beautiful." Esme awed, looking over my shoulder at the picture. I heard others agree with her, but I couldn't compute any of it. I was blown too far away and still hypnotized by my own vampiric eyes to know that Edward had wrapped an arm around me.

"Bella? What do you think?" he asked. I was finally able to look up. My eyes found Jack's, who was staring at me with concern. "Do-do you not like it Mrs. Cullen?" he asked, his voice filled with pain of rejection. I looked back down at the portrait, feeling tears well up in my eyes.

"It's-" I began as the tears broke. "-it's so beautiful. I'm dumbstruck. Where did you get this done? Thank you. Thank you so much." Jack smiled at me, instantly comforted. "I did it myself." I felt the awe spread across my expression. "I'm glad you like it." he said gently.

"How did you know what I look like?" I asked. I was very certain that we had never met before, but the picture was so dead on that it looked like I was looking in a mirror. A vampire mirror.

"Eliza helped me with that." Jack responded, his eyes turning to Eliza. "She helped me capture what you looked like by describing you to me." "You did _this_ just by being told what I look like?" I asked in astonishment. Jack chuckled. "When you've been around as long as I have, and love art as much as I did in my human life, it's hard not to take up a hobby."

"Enough talking outside. May we come in?" Eliza asked curtly, exaggerating it by shifting tiny Mary to her other arm. "Yes, please do." Esme said with her beautiful smile while gesturing to the front door. "Thank you." Eliza and Jack said together.

We were all gathered in the living room. Eliza placed Mary next to Emmett on the sofa. She looked like a china doll next to a grizzly bear. Jack was sitting with his arms draped around Eliza on the love seat across from Rosalie and Alice. Jasper was sitting at Alice's feet and Esme and Carlisle were sitting in individual chairs they had pulled in from another room. I sat with Edward's arms around me on the ground. Whenever I glanced up to see his face, his eyes would trail off towards Mary. Mary would return the stare, emotionless and uncaring.

"So, did all of you just meet up together?" I asked, really curious about how the Turnhearts had come to be a family and vegetarians like the Cullens. I saw Jack and Mary flinch and I instantly regretted asking. Eliza on the other hand smiled. It was darker and more mature than any smile I had seen her wear.

"Actually, I changed them." she stated casually. I stared at her. "You mean, you're the oldest?" Eliza smiled at my disbelief. "Yes. I had a run in with the Volturi when I was human and here I am today."

My heart skipped a beat at the name. Eliza raised one eyebrow. "I take it you know of them, based on your reaction." I nodded and Eliza sighed. "Quite an intimidating group, aren't they. It's been about a year since I met with Aro. My last visit-" she laughed at the memory. "-was rather interesting." Edward stared at Eliza and Eliza's eyes met his. The invisible conversation continued only for a second and then dissolved with Emmett's growl. "You work for the Volturi?" Eliza looked insulted. "Not anymore." she snarled. My heart pulled another fast one, only this time tripling its rate.

"Why'd you leave?" someone asked, though I couldn't focus away from Eliza's face to see who. "I didn't approve of their methods of getting what they wanted." Her eyes turned to me, reading my expression. Her eyes softened. "I hope I haven't frightened you, Bella." I shook my head, afraid my voice might crack if I spoke and reveal that I was frightened. My mask didn't fool her.

"Would you like to hear my story?" I hesitated. I didn't want to be nosey and cause painful memories to rise to the surface for this smiling saint. "Yeah, I would kind of like to hear how you ended up living with a dog." Alice said sharply as she rolled her eyes.

A lot of things happened after that. Too much for me to catch with my eyes. What I did catch was Mary's eyes squinting dangerously at Alice's words, a loud crash that sounded like a bulldozer tearing through a wall, and seeing Alice two feet deep into the wall across the room. Her eyes were utterly confused, something that wasn't normal for Alice.

"Don't-" All eyes flew to the tiniest vampire, who still remained on the sofa. Her eyes were dangerous and staring at Alice bitterly. "-call Rachel a _dog_." Her voice was delicate and sounded like a flute in it's clarity and fluidity.

"How dare you!" Alice hissed as she pulled herself out of the plaster and splintered wood. "Alice, please calm down." Eliza asked sweetly as she and Jack took a defensive step between Alice and the now furious Jasper and the unmoving Mary. Snarls erupted all over the house from Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and Alice. Edward sat calmly next to me, not affected at all and Carlisle and Esme looked more appalled at their own children's response than Mary's actions. "Mary,-" Eliza said sternly as she turned on little Mary. She held out her hand like a scolding parent who was actually quite amused with her naughty child painting a picture on the neighbors' walls. "-you can't go using your powers to throw people into walls. It's rude and it damages the house." Edward snickered next to me. "Apologize, please."

Mary made a look that made me think that she would send Alice and Jasper through another wall. But it vanished and she stuck out her bottom lip, like she was about to burst into fiery tears. "But she called Rachel a dog." she said defensively, pointing an accusing finger at Alice. Eliza shook her head lovingly. "Sweetie, technically, Rachel _can _turn into a dog." "That's not what she meant." "Mary." Jack added with a little force. Mary sighed indignantly and looked back at Alice. "Sorry." she mumbled as she crossed her tiny arms across her chest.

"You too, Alice." Carlisle stated. Alice stared at her father figure as though to argue, but then thought better of it. "Sorry." she grumbled as she and Jasper took their seats again. With that, Emmett and Rosalie returned to where they had been and the tension cleared.

"That was not the story I had in mind, Alice." Eliza stated as she sat in Jack's lap. Jack's arms instinctively wrapped themselves around her tiny waist. It was hard for me not to stare at them. They were just so, instinctively in tuned with each other. If one moved, the other moved to compensate. Their breathing was even in sync. It reminded me of something.

Eliza flopped off of Jack's lap into the seat next to him, looking as childish as ever until she sat up straight. Her eyes became hazy, and she looked up at Jack. She mumbled something under her breath to where normal human ears couldn't catch it. Edward nodded his obvious approval. Eliza smiled at him and then turned her perfect face to me.

"Well, my human name was Elizabeth Rebecca Dawson. I'm the oldest of my family at a whopping three hundred and seventy-three years." My mouth hung open. Eliza didn't look a day over fifteen. "I was born in 1634 England to a family of servants. I don't recall my mother's name, or even what she looked like, because I was sold to another family by the time I was two." the way she said it, so apathetic, sent chills down my spine. She seemed to not even care, like she was giving me a weather report rather than a story of her life. "The family I remember was very kind and raised me with their own 5 children before they went bankrupt and had to sell me at the age of twelve. I like to think that I left there kicking and screaming." she laughed. "I got in so much trouble for that. It wasn't strongly looked upon for a young lady to speak, let alone punch her new master in the nose.

"My new family took me from England to a providence in Italy known as Volterra." I shivered at the name. "This family wasn't as……kind to their servants. The Master, Michael De'la Cruz, was involved in shady business that I now realize to be a part of the vampire society known as the Volturi." I gasped as I realized something. Something in her words. Eliza must have seen what I had thought because she smiled sadly at me. "Yes, my dear. The Volturi use humans for work. Human transport. Kidnappings. Cover-ups. The works. It truly is a brilliant business venture really. What better labor than labor you can eat if they fail." Eliza's eyes had taken on a hard edge to them that frightened me. A look I had seen in little Jane too many times in my life. One where she was imagining the pain of other people. Added with the smile she was forcing too hard onto her face made me feel sick to my stomach.

I felt the whiplash of her face sudden transformation back into a gentle expression. She continued. "I lived in that house for two years, treated lower than an animal, before we got a new addition to the servant quarters. A beautiful five year old girl named Ana Sophia. I was instantly attached to her, and visa versa. She followed me around like a duckling with her bouncing brunette curls tickling her nose when she ran after me, her dazzling blue eyes watching everything I did. She was the first person I had ever held as precious in my life. And I was her world."

Eliza seemed to slip into her memories for a second. Her eyes were centuries into the past and weren't gleaming at me, but at a smile child who depended on her to survive in the cruel circumstances life had to offer them. A child that was all Eliza had, her only link to humanity. I could almost see the tiny child smiling back at Eliza with a mop in one hand, her eyes and smile eager to please.

I had to do a double take when Mary walked childishly towards Eliza and tugged on her arm. The brunette curls, the age, I had almost thought I had slipped into Eliza's mind. Mary looked just how Eliza seemed to describe Ana. I wondered what color Mary's eyes actually were before they took on the honey tint.

Eliza seemed to have the same disbelief at the sight of Mary as I had. Her eyes widened but then took on that motherly look I had seen her wear earlier. She sighed and gathered Mary into her arms. She moved a strand of loose hair from Mary's face before the tiny girl buried her face into Eliza's shoulder, her eyes never leaving Eliza's face. Eliza looked back up at me, ready to continue.

"Then one day, a year later, the master came home sweating and cursing. Obviously in a frenzy. He was yelling at his wife to gather their children and any money they could get a hold of. He was rambling about a 'shipment' that had gone wrong to the Volturi. Muttering about how they would come for an equivalent exchange." I saw Eliza's jaw tighten, Mary grip her mother's shirt, and Jack plant his hands firmly and comfortingly on Eliza's arms comfortingly. She looked at her family members and then back towards the rest of us.

"The servants were terrified. We had no idea what was going on, being constantly left in the dark of our master's dirty dealings in the human trade. Everyone feared that the house was going to be abandoned, raided, or worse. I somehow knew that something bigger was going on. I could practically read my master and knew that this wasn't something as simple as a change of hands or a family outing to get away from the heat of his business. This was something life threatening."

Eliza's eyes became curious and looked at me with those quizzical eyebrows. "I suppose whatever it was that warned me is why I'm able to read minds today. But-" her eyes focused in on me, making me feel a little self conscious. I knew what she was trying to do and knew she would have to give up soon before her face permanently stuck that way. Her eyes flew to Edward, signaling her surrender. Edward shrugged with a chuckle deep in his throat. "It's not just you. Her mind is a mystery to us all." Edward wrapped an arm around me as Eliza's eyes fell back to me. "Very interesting." she muttered.

"Anyways, I knew I had to get Ana out of there. I scooped her out of bed into my arms and opened the window to the servants quarters. She was still groggy from sleeping, but I could tell that she sensed what was going on. She clung to me for dear life as I climbed down the rising ivy on the side of the house and fell to the ground. We made it to the gate of the property. I had no money, no food. Nothing! A runaway servant might as well mark themselves for starvation in those days, but I had to get us out of there. I was juggling a child with one hand, trying to keep her quiet as the fear took her over, and open the gate with the other." Eliza was gone again. Back to that time. She was holding a screaming child. "Where are we going? Why?" I could almost hear Ana's childlike questions as Eliza tried to keep her quiet. Almost saw the gate, felt the worry about the following day's meal but at the same time the relief that she had made it that far.

"I pulled and pulled on that gate." Eliza said desperately. "It just would not open. I put Ana down and pulled with both hands. She started screaming louder and louder. I was sure we were going to get caught and punishment wouldn't be gentle on a runaway. When I looked back to tell Ana to be quiet-" Eliza shook her head. "-Demetri was holding her under his arm and pressing the gate I was pulling on with the index finger of his other." Horror at what she witnessed shook my form. Demetri's red eyes still came back to me in my nightmares.

"Being my normal rambunctious self, I abandoned the gate and started trying to attack Demetri. I could sense the threat. I could feel his ability to kill me without so much as a flick of his index finger, but I had to get Ana away from him. I threw a punch at him, demanding that he let her go and he vanished. Luckily for me, he found it amusing and tossed Ana at me like a rag doll. She was crying and wailing her head off. I couldn't comfort her, something that I had always been able to do. All the while, Demetri shoving me back towards the house. I was thrown with the other servants into the main dining hall to wait. How ironic." Eliza snickered as her eyes darkened.

"Whatever had told me to get out of there, started contemplating the odds of me leaving with Ana. They weren't good. The odds were that one, if not both, of us were going to die that day, along with all of the hundreds of other servants. That's when the other members of the guard of the Volturi entered the room. I heard the whispers and swoons of the hand maids. 'How beautiful these guests are' and 'I wish I could speak to that lovely man over there' were just two examples of what I heard. When they came into my line of vision, I didn't see what they say. All I saw was murder and madness in those black eyes." My heart was pumping as quickly as it had the time when I had walked down the icy path of the Volturi compound with Edward. I saw the eyes she spoke of and they sent drastic chills throughout my body.

"All of a sudden the intruders parted and the door creaked open. Aro's cold and delicate face smiled lovingly at each one of the servants as he bowed. He told us there was nothing to fear. That all would be over quickly and he and his men would be on their way. He merely wanted to shake each of our hands and it would be done with." I thought about that for a second. Why had Aro, a telepathic via touching vampire (not to mention one of the royal vampires of the vampiric world) wanted to see into the minds of human servants? What had he been looking for?

"He started at one end of the room, shaking hands with dazed and confused servants who were lost in Aro's beauty. They took his hand and he would look into their eyes. Each time, he would frown and go on to the next servant. Ana and I were at the very end and I was desperately trying to figure a way out of the situation while Ana screamed in my arms. She wanted to get away. She felt what I felt and knew we had to get out to stay alive. I tried desperately to calm her, but it was impossible.

"'Now now, child. Whatever is the matter?'" Eliza said with her eyes closed, perfectly mimicking Aro's accent. "He had stepped out of line and had come straight for me and Ana. Somehow I was able to stay clear-headed from his hypnotic stare, and kept trying to Sooth Ana. When I didn't respond Aro asked, 'Is there anything I can do?'

"I wouldn't technically call it reading his mind, but I had a hunch. I looked straight into those bloody-hungry black eyes and the words tumbled from my lips before I could think better of them. 'You could let her live, and tell me who you're looking for, sir.'

"Apparently, I shocked him a lot more than I had thought. His eyes were practically bulging out of his face." Eliza chortled in bitter humor. "He was slowly able to smile at me and asked if he could touch my hand. When he reached out towards me I pulled back, unlike the others who had presented their hands as though before royalty. I couldn't help my reaction. I thought I would break him he looked so brittle." Finally, something I could understand. I had felt the exact same way when I had met Aro. Skin that looked like watered together sand.

"My reluctance also surprised him. He took my hand anyways and waited for a moment, completely oblivious to my struggling to try to break away from him. He smiled, flaunting those perfectly white teeth with eagerness before he gently touched Ana's cheek with the tips of his finger." Eliza shook away something that make Edward flinch next to me. Something had crossed her memory that had even spooked Edward.

"Aro smiled, his black eyes smoldering at the tow of us. He told his guards that they were done and to prepare the servants for 'the next event'." Again, an involuntary trimmer attacked Edward next to me and his grip around my waist tightened. "All except for me and Ana. 'Demetri, please escort Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Ana out before the commotion begins. I will come for them in my chambers.' Demetri was no longer worried about showing what he was. I was already marked by Aro so there was no point in hiding what he was. He picked me up as though I were lighter than air and ran out of there before the screaming started and took me to Volterra tower to wait until Aro was done……feeding."

Eliza sighed deeply before allowing her half-open fragile eyes meet with mine. "I never saw any of the people who lived or worked there again. I heard something that the cover up was that the owner had gone mad and had locked everyone inside the house before setting the mansion ablaze. But I had no way of finding that out until a few years later. I had other things on my mind at the time. Like being escorted to Aro's portion of the Volturi castle by a creature I had always thought to be a boogieman story to keep children from sneaking into the castle. Well, surprise surprise. I still had Ana in my arms and she had thankfully cried herself to sleep. When Aro returned, his eyes were a ruby red and he, well, offered me an ultimatum," Eliza stated as she stroked the top of Mary's head. I could only guess what the ultimatum was: death in one form or another. "Safe to say, I was changed and can now read minds. The Volturi had been wanting to add a new member to the guard because a wolf had killed one of them or something and they needed some new talent. What better place to look than a place that would end up just being a diner anyways." She added with a shrug.

"What happened to Ana?" I asked, curious if she had also been changed. Eliza's smile was distant once again, but her eyes were sparkling as she thought of a lovely memory. "She lived a long, healthy, _human_ life. She had a little girl and died in her sleep at the age of seventy-two." I fell silent. "I visited her a few times in my life and, well," her gaze fell to Mary before she could stop herself. Her eyes quickly darted back up to me, blank and emotionless.

"I lived with the Volturi for ten years," I noted the subject change. What was it about Ana that she didn't want to tell me? "-before Aro realized how unhappy I was. It was hard for me to deal with the memories that flooded the minds of those I-was-given to feed on. That's when I asked him if I could leave the Volturi to find my own path. At the time I was secretly wishing that he would have been insulted and killed me then and there. Surprisingly he agreed, just as long as I came back to visit consecutively. I ran out of Volterra and headed back to the place of my birth: England. I don't know why, it was like I was drawn there.

"That's when I met with Carlisle, trying to kill himself." Eliza said with a snicker. Her eyes had instantly lightened. Carlisle also laughed. "Yes, I remember that day. I was trying to jump off of Big Ben. You were suddenly up there with me and asked me what I was doing." Carlisle said, reliving the memory with a smile. "And then you told me you were going to end your…what did you call it, 'condemned existence'." Eliza laughed again. "You, you tried to commit suicide Carlisle?" I asked. I had never heard that side of the story. I had always envisioned Carlisle as being strong from the very beginning, never allowing the thought of ending his own life as a way out of his vampiric existence. Carlisle sighed with a smile as he looked at me. "I had only just been transformed, my dear. Suicide was looking very good at the time." "You can't hold it against him, Bella." Eliza started. "He was just a child back then. Lost and confused."

I held up my hand to process. "Wait, the way you make it sound, Eliza is-" "-an older vampire than Carlisle. Yup. By nine years, six months, and 42 hours." I looked from the childish Eliza to the mature Carlisle and tried to hide the shock from my face. I more than likely failed. "I guess I'm bad at guessing ages." I mumbled to myself. "Believe it or not Bella, Carlisle and I, if allowed to live human lives, would be roughly the same age. We were born the same year, just to different social standings. We both were changed, just in different years." Picturing Carlisle and Eliza as growing up together was hard to visualize, even though their mannerisms were practically the same. Something only living in the 1600s could provide, I guessed.

"That's when Carlisle suggested to me to join him on his 'special' diet that proved to hard to complete on his own." I tilted my head in confusion. "That's why we were on top of Big Ben, Bella. Rather than give into temptation and feed on a human, Carlisle was ready to kill himself to keep himself from biting a human." "Oh." I nodded in comprehension.

"With someone there to keep your hand out of the cookie jar, it's easier to fight off the natural instincts all vampires share. I thought he was nuts, but after hearing so many minds I was willing to give it a shot." Eliza's eyes rolled towards the ceiling. "That had to be one of the hardest ordeals of my existence." I could only imagine. Eliza was very much like Jasper in that she had to change her eating habits so drastically after being born in a world that encouraged the belief that humans were just a food source.

"But we made it. After about one-hundred years we were both in complete control of our……eating habits. It was high time I left to go make my usual trip to visit the Volturi. Carlisle and Aro were quick friends, but if Aro hadn't read his mind, he would have thought we were……a couple." Eliza gagged as she rolled her beautiful honey colored eyes. "Why would he think that?" I asked. "Actaully, he told me it was because he had honestly expected me back sooner, ready to feed on humans and resume my post. He believed that it was Carlisle that kept me from cheating. He's right about that, but not for romantic purposes so don't stiffen up, Esme." Eliza giggled with a playful wink towards Carlisle's mate. I looked towards Esme. Her jaw was clenched and she sat rigidly in her chair but she was able to release a bell chime laugh. "I love Carlisle like a brother. A pesky little brother." Eliza added as she leaned against Jack's arm. Carlisle reached over to Esme and brushed his hand against her cheek affectionately.

"If I do recall, we hated each other when you first joined my vegetarian lifestyle." Carlise remarked with a brief sigh of amusement, his tone light as though he were sharing an old joke. "Only if you consider us going to blows with each other whenever we were in the same room, hatred." Eliza snickered back. I was surprised when her face scrunched up and she looked up at Jack. I couldn't anything in his face and could only guess what she had read in his thoughts. "Don't be that way. Nothing happened, okay? We were lucky to be on talking terms. You are the only one I've ever had, my love." Jack's face slackened, allowing the idea of a smile to glaze his eyes and touch his lips. Eliza placed Mary next to her, pushed herself up and kissed his lips tenderly while little Mary covered her eyes with her pudgy hands.

"When did you meet Jack and Mary?" I asked quietly, also unable to intrude on their moment. Eliza pulled away and looked towards me. "I met Jack on that meeting with the Volturi. Jack and I decided it would be best that we part ways with Carlisle for awhile. After a few decades we met back up with him long enough to help him with Edward's change. But when the second World War presented itself-" Eliza took a deep breath. "-I _had to return to Europe to check up on something. Jack stayed by my side while Carlisle tried to help Edward through his rebellious years." Eliza added with a lifted eyebrow aimed at Edward. When I looked at him, he was glaring at Eliza like a brother who just got ratted out by an older and wiser big sister. "While over there, we found Mary and changed her." My eyes slid to little Mary, who had fascinated herself with levitating objects on the coffee table and making them dance. I silently wondered where they had found the silent young girl and what those deep and mature eyes had seen during that era to make her seem so distant from everyone, even Jack and Eliza to an extent, around her. _

"_We've been a family ever since, to the disdain of the Aro. Aro doesn't like the fact that we succeeded in becoming a unit really. He would have preferred us killing each other." Eliza answered my unasked question. "I like Master Aro. He's nice to me." Mary said absently as she made a book fly like a bird around the room. I caught Eliza stiffen, but she hid it behind a protective smile. "That's because he adores children. He thinks having you around would make his a little more carefree…..Let's hope you never have reason to doubt that, young one." she finished with a pat on Mary's head. _

"_That is my history. My story. I hope that your beginning years in our world will be far more cheerful Bella. But having your mate before you change will usually help in that." Eliza finished with a brilliant smile. _

_Author: Wow. This is the longest chapter yet! Woohoo! Sorry that it's taken so long to update. Had some things happen to my family, but I'm back and I hope you will review this chapter. I feel really bad when I don't get reviews. I really want to get good at writing and I need feedback. Thanks a lot!!_

_Nickolette _


	10. Inner battles and broken treaties

The Turnheart family stayed at the mansion through the day. Edward and Carlisle had left to speak privately amongst themselves, Eliza was talking to a more relaxed Esme about when Carlisle was starting to learn medicine, Mary taunted Emmett by lifting some of his random possessions into the air and watching him trying to get them, and Jack spoke with Alice and Jasper about the things they had seen on their way from Canada. Leaving me to sit on the sofa and observe everything going on around me.

I found myself staring at Jack. His eyes were so distant, as though he had seen too much pain for anything to get under his skin. He found my eyes and held my gaze. He didn't smile at first. He just stared, making me feel uncomfortable. But finally the corners of his mouth turned upward before he looked back towards Alice and Jasper.

I was hit with the wanting to get to know Jack the most of all. He seemed to have a story that he wanted to tell, but was too withdrawn to say it out loud. I felt a connection to him that I couldn't understand. A feeling that he knew how I felt on everything, how I saw things. He understood. I wanted to know him and why I felt this way.

While I was thinking this, Edward came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, pinning me to the sofa and kissed the top of my head. "Hey." he sighed. After catching my breath, I replied with a less than suave "hi."

Edward's eyes trailed over to Eliza who had been joined by Carlisle. Though her back had been to us, she turned her liquid eyes to us, her expression thoughtful. Dark and foreboding for only a millisecond before she nodded to Edward and returned bright faced to the group.

"You want to go for a walk with me." Edward asked before I could question him on what had happened in the mental path of communication that those two had mastered in the past hundred years. Without an answer, Edward pulled me delicately off the sofa and directed me with a hand on the small of my back to the door.

We walked a ways in silence, just enjoying each other's company. The sun was setting and the slight breeze over the field was very pleasant. Edward stopped walking and I faced him. His eyes were sorrowful and knowing, a complete contrast to the smile spread across his lips.

"So, what do you think about Eliza?" he asked, anticipation and worry in his tone. I waited a second before I answered. I didn't want to word it wrong and give him the wrong impression. I had instantly liked Eliza and her family, but I knew he wasn't asking about that. He was asking about how I felt about the story she had told me.

"I can't believe that she had been a part of the Volturi." I told him honestly. Some of the worry left his eyes as he sighed and wrapped a hand around my waist. We started walking again, but at a slower pace.

"I'm amazed that she could talk about her past like that with a smile through most of it. She always was stronger than me in that sense."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean Eliza's past is a lot more painful than she let on. She used to go into lapses over it. She usually can hide it from people, but it's impossible to keep it from me." Edward answered, his face growing bleak with each word.

"Eliza didn't have a choice in joining the Volturi, Bella." I felt my nose wrinkle in confusion. "I thought she said that they gave her an ultimatum of becoming a vampire. Didn't they give her a choice of whether or not she joined them, too?" Edward was battling with a painful memory. He had seen it first hand through Eliza's mind. He knew the full extent of the damage and all the gruesome details.

"That wasn't the ultimatum, Bella." Edward whispered. The words were hard for him to get out. "Then what was it?" My voice was struggling just as much as his was to maintain control. Something was wrong. Edward stared at me with one of the saddest expressions I had ever seen on his face.

"The choice was whether or not it would be her or Ana that would be changed." I gasped.

"Emily had instincts that no normal human child should have, making her a perfect candidate for becoming a member of the Volturi. Eliza sacrificed herself for Emily and became one of Aro's guards." Edward looked towards the cloudy sky. "During her first year, without Aro knowing-" Edward choked on the words, cleared his throat and tried to continue with his eyes closed. "-Marcus locked her in a cell and put countless humans in there with her, knowing that she could read their minds and feel their pain as she fed on them." I couldn't breathe. I felt tears well up in my eyes but forced them to stay back.

"At first, she would kill them all at once and Marcus would practically starve her to death before putting a new batch in with her." Edward bit down on his lower lip, obviously reliving the pain Eliza had felt in that year. Knowing exactly what she had seen in the minds of those she was forced to kill to survive.

"His idea eventually worked. Eliza gained control and killed the humans over time instead of all at once. She had control over her mind reading and was one of Aro's youngest and strongest guards for the time she was with them. I think it's mostly because Aro allowed her to pick her own prey and was so much kinder to her than Marcus, who was brutal to her, that she is unable to fully remove her ties of loyalty to Aro and continues to return to the Volturi regularly. Even though each time she faces Marcus, her body instantly remembers every second he had her locked up.

"Aro eventually found out by looking into Eliza's thoughts and gave Marcus a 'stern talk into', but that didn't change the fact that it took years before Eliza smiled again." I felt my legs stop walking with him and he watched my expression with delicate alertness. I could see he didn't want to hurt me with this sad story, but that it had to be told. I felt a question playing on my tongue that I worried about asking. Finally it broke through the edgy silence.

"What really happened to Ana?" My voice was almost hysterical and my lips were trembling. Edward smiled softly. "She was adopted and lived a long happy life. She had a beautiful little girl she named Elizabeth. Eliza visited her the day after she was born."

"Did Ana recognize her?" I asked hopefully. After everything Eliza had been through, I hoped for a happy reunion with her one connection to her human life. Edward's smile vanished.

"Yes, but only barely. Ana had been so young and had only named her daughter Elizabeth out of the foggiest memory of her caretaker. Not to mention she hadn't aged a day since the day they had parted from one another." I looked down to the ground. I knew then what Eliza had meant about having my mate with me through the transformation. The only one she had ever cared for in her human life had forgotten her, those of her new life were brutal and she was ultimately alone. I compared our differences and was able to see at just how lucky I was. I was able to choose, she hadn't. I had a family who would be ready to care for me during the hardest year of my existence, she had someone who made it that much harder. I will never feel the guilt of killing a person because those around me would keep me from losing control, she had been raised to embrace the killing of people while retaining every memory of pain she caused those she fed on.

I thought back to when Eliza was speaking about Ana and how she had died peacefully at a ripe old age and remembered something. "Why did Eliza suddenly look at Mary when she was talking about Ana? I saw her glance at her and then quickly look away. Why?" I asked, almost knowing that they were linked together in one way or another. I just couldn't put the two together.

Edward turned his face away, though I had seen it long enough to see the pain in it. It was crippling to see him that way, like his pain had rushed through me at that instant.

"Because Mary is Ana's great-great-great-great-great grandchild." he finally answered in a morose tone. I couldn't speak and could feel how wide my eyes had gotten. Edward looked at me, his eyes darker than they had been in a long time.

"When Eliza heard that the province Isabel, also one of Ana's descendants, had been attacked by the Germans, she and Jack immediately left us to go find her. Her search led her to a concentration camp." Edward paused to regain himself. "Isabel had been killed two weeks prior."

I felt my legs give under me and found myself in Edward's arms. "Bella?" His eyes were searching my face, hoping that I was alright. But I wasn't alright. I could feel the tears burning ribbons down my face and couldn't stop them. "What happened next?" I murmured through the sobs.

Edward pressed me against his body and I molded to him, hoping to gain strength from his grip.

"Eliza lost control. She destroyed the camp and all in it in a matter of hours. She burned the place to the ground." The image of Eliza destroying everything in her path, unable to cry or stop the pain. The guilt she must have felt, unable to protect Ana's family.

"But-" I looked up at Edward's face, wondering what more could Eliza have faced. "-out of the rubble a single person escaped her attack. A child that had protected herself with her gift of telepathy, that had damned her to that place, and stood before Eliza like a mirror to the past." Edward raised a hand to wipe away the tears that were still trickling down my cheeks.

"A girl that looked exactly like Ana in every way stared at her with crystal clear blue eyes and a vacant face."

"Mary." Edward nodded. "She wasn't afraid of Eliza. Not in the least. Like her ancestor before, she could sense that there was no danger in trusting this creature that she had just watch destroy her place of misery. With her own mouth, she asked Eliza to change her. Eliza agreed, swearing to protect the girl for the rest of eternity and to be the mother she had lost."

If Edward hadn't been holding me, I know I would have fallen. My legs just couldn't hold my quivering form. "Poor Eliza." I found myself saying. Edward rocked me in his arms, gently soothing my aching.

"Yes. Eliza blamed herself for Isabel's death for a long time. Because she couldn't prevent it, but she promised to save her child. She has kept that promise for the past 70 years now.

"The reason she didn't say this inside is because she doesn't want any of the others to know." I looked up at Edward, confused again.

"Why'd she let you tell me then?" I asked, glad to feel that the tears were finally starting to slow down.

"Because she can't hear your thoughts. She hoped that one person could know her without being able to hear their pity or disgust. It's hard knowing exactly what people think of you." Edward said with a grim smile.

"Because she can read minds." I stated. It wasn't a question. I knew it had to be true. Nothing was hidden from her or Edward. It must have been painful to know the dark thought someone thought about you where they thought you couldn't see.

"It….is very unorthodox for one of our kind to follow a loved one's family through their lives and try to protect them. We usually cut all our ties and move on. She cares too deeply for our family to want any of the others to think little of her merely because she decided to keep in touch with the one family that kept her in touch with her human past."

"What's Jack's story?" Eliza didn't even touch how they met." Edward stiffened but finally smiled as he took my face in his hands.

"Actually, Jack doesn't want us to tell you. He wants to be the one to explain his story when he gets to know you a little better." Edward threw in when he saw the frustration flush across my face. "You'd be surprised how much you two have in common."

"Really? Like what?" I pressed, eager to learn about the mysterious third member of the Turnheart clan. Edward chuckled and shook his head. "Don't be impatient. It takes Jack awhile to trust people, but he told us that he would tell you soon enough." I remembered back to when Eliza and Edward had had that moment with Jack before Eliza had started telling me her tale. So that's what they had been discussing.

"I'm actually surprised at how quickly he warmed up to you." I thought back over the day with a raised eyebrow. Jack hadn't said ten words to me since he walked in the door. The most he did was smile or stare at me to the point where I became uncomfortable. That was being warm to me?

When we returned to the house everyone was waiting for us on the front porch. It warmed my heart when I noticed that little Mary was resting with a teddy bear in her tiny grip on Esme's lap. Though the smile Esme wore was her usual gleam of contentment, I saw an extra spark of joy twinkle in her eyes as she ran her hand delicately through the child's hair. A smile, that had eluded her the whole time, lifted the corners of Mary's lips as she made the bear walk on her lap. A child who had died when her mother had been taken, a mother who had died when she had lost her child, both bound by the same feeling of loss. Another to share the ache. Another to know the feeling of losing someone that close to their heart.

As we drew closer I noticed Eliza was on a cell phone, talking in a whisper with her back to the others and a concerned glance set Jack's expression as he listened. She suddenly closed the phone and skipped to meet Edward and me. Her smile seemed too happy for the focus she had had on keeping her voice hardly audible for even other vampires. After them came Esme holding Mary's hand as she jumped in the tall grass.

"Thank you for having us over." Eliza said with a laugh. Jack gave a formal bow and locked his gaze with mine. His eyes were searching again. Looking deep inside my center for something before his eyes flickered to Edward and then back to me.

"We have to go now." Mary said with bottom lip protruding pitifully. She looked irritated with the idea that she had to leave the family she was starting to warm up to. So did Esme.

"So soon? It isn't even nightfall yet." Edward complained. His eyes were upset, obviously wanting more time with his friends then they were able to give.

"Yes, well, we don't want to intrude. We will be back so do not fret, Bella." Jack directed to my worried expression with a slight hint of an accent. I wanted to learn more about these vampire who could probably help me through my transformation and be friends for the rest of…well….eternity. They knew so much and I wanted to learn all about them. Especially the one I knew nothing about.

"We just have to go hunt and-" Eliza paused with a quick glance over my shoulder to Edward. "-check up on some things." Her eyes were blazing towards a contemplating Edward. He processed something, his face growing dark for a split second, before he nodded solemnly. I glared up at him, but he pretended not to notice.

"Well-" my eyes were drawn downward at the tiny voice. Mary was staring at me with the teddy bear stretched out towards me. I took it from and she gave me a beautiful smile. "-good bye for now."

I blinked and they were gone so fast that it made my mind whirl. Luckily Edward was there to keep me balanced. I looked towards the direction they had left and whispered, "Good bye for now."

* * *

Edward drove me to the boundary line early the next day and put the car in park. I was really surprised when he got out of the car with me. I was even more surprised when Sam was the one who met us in no man's land, flanked by Jared and Paul. All three of them were on edge. Shaking so violently I was afraid they'd all jump out of their skins with one more step. Edward pushed me behind him defensively, but overall remained calm.

"Good morning, Sam." he said lightly. Sam nodded a reply. "So, shall we get straight to business then." Edward smiled darkly. I couldn't help the question mark appear in the blank spot of my mind that had no idea what was going on. Did this have to do with what Rachel had told Edward yesterday? An idea to keep me safe from Leah while I visited La Push?

"We already know your proposal and we have some conditions of our own." Sam answered. His voice held no emotion. His demeanor was cold. He was not a friend of the family or even a big brother. He was alpha to the pack and he wasn't about to be distracted by emotional ties to anything.

Edward listened for a moment to the thoughts of the wolves and then nodded. "Only I or Carlisle can come down here and the others are not to know of the situation unless it really becomes drastic. Well, Rachel's adopted family are very much aware of the situation. And if anything happens, I don't think you're going to be able to keep Jack on our side of the boundary line." All of this about the deal with Leah? Had Edward told Eliza telepathically?

Sam looked unnerved by the fact that Edward had been inside his head but quickly recovered his composure. "So we are in agreement?" he growled.

Paul stuck his hands in his pockets to hide his shaking while Jared snarled in detest of the idea they were discussing.

Edward did an over the top bow, but kept his eyes on the quivering boys. "Of course. Until the situation calls for it, my family will not hear of this little-" Edward growled in his throat and he locked his jaw. "-family issue."

I had a feeling that Edward was pushing it calling the Leah situation a family issue. But I was surprised when Sam didn't lash out. He simply walked backwards with his wingman, keeping their eyes only on Edward. I watched them watch my husband, my heart not cutting me any slack as it hammered away. Once they touched the trees, they turned and ran into the green.

"What was _that_?!" I growled when I knew we were alone. Edward rounded on me and smiled a crooked smile that made my anger melt, but worried me when it didn't touch his serious eyes.

"Just making arrangements to make sure that Leah doesn't try anything." Edward stated innocently as though I would know what that meant.

Before I could ask further, Edward put a finger to my lips to stop me. "I have just made arrangements for me to come with you inside the pack's territory. That's all, so please don't worry." He placed his lips against mine and melted the torrent of questions that were just about to spew out of them.

Edward took my hand and led me into the forbidden zone for the Cullen family. Even with his reassurance that this was allowed I couldn't help glancing at the trees, worrying that at any second we would step over that invisible line and a pack of angry and very large wolves would jump out and tear Edward to shreds.

"It's okay, Bella. Calm down. Your heart's about to jump out of you." Edward said with a tight laugh.

"Why do I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me?" I whispered. Edward stopped walking and sent me the full power of his golden gaze. "Nothing that you need to worry about now. You're safety, that's all this is about. Trust me."

I bit my lip as we walked into the prohibited wolf grounds, well aware that the trees were whispering all around us. I checked my watch. Seven-thirty in the morning. Now I could always remember the time when the treaty, set up decades ago between werewolf and vampire, was broken for something as trivial as a human girl's safety. My safety.


	11. Water wars

It was a new record since the whole werewolf and vampire rivalry had been made known to me of times I had visited La Push consecutively. Also it marked the first time I was walking with Edward by my side. That's probably why I was so jumpy and was visualizing hundreds of eyes staring at us from the trees. I was just imagining them, wasn't I?

Jacob's property seemed far too quiet compared to the day before. Had coming and seeing Rachel asleep on the Black's roof happened only yesterday? It felt like so long ago. This morning there was no she-wolf lazing on the roof. There was no movement at all. It was so quiet, even I could hear the murmurs of what sounded like an argument inside. It was a bit unnerving considering that they _had _to know we were there. Jacob was always bragging about how he can smell a vampire a mile away. What, he could smell them at a distance but not when they were knocking on his door?

As soon as that thought hit me, the screen door to the little house swung open and a bright eyed and bushy-tailed Rachel was bounding towards us.

"Bella! Edward!" she squealed gleefully as she met us. She was wearing another of Jacob's shirts and a pair of khaki shorts. No shoes, of course. None of that struck me as odd. What was odd was the fresh white bandage that stuck out like a sore thumb against the dark tone of Rachel's forearm. It was the wrap around type, a form I was very well accustomed with. A bandage I knew only used to stop rapid blood loss. It clearly covered her forearm, but I couldn't tell if it wound farther up because of her gigantic sleeves.

"Rachel! What happened?!" I gasped as I grazed my fingers along the binding. She seemed surprised that I had noticed and examined it herself, like it was something she had forgotten was there. Her smile was mischievous but embarrassed as she started to unwind the dressing.

"Oh, Leah nipped me at the meeting last night. It's really nothing." She flicked her wrist and the rest of the white cloth fell to the ground. Four pink indentions couldn't make themselves anymore obvious on her than the white bandage. They were still healing, which made the damaged tissue seem that much more serious.

I had watched Jacob slice his hand open in my kitchen, an injury that would have warranted him a trip to the hospital for stitches, and heal in a matter of milliseconds and act like it was nothing.

"Does _nothing _usually merit a bandage for a werewolf?" Edward asked for me. Rachel rolled her eyes and stretched her back.

"Jacob's just being careful. You know, cuz' I'm so fragile." she made a disgusted noise at that. "I've had worse injuries play-fighting with my little brother, and he's a _normal_ human. He's just making sure I'm alright." Brother?

"You have siblings?" I asked, eager to attack the tidbit of information. Rachel shifted her weight and a disgruntled look appeared on her face. It looked like she had hoped I hadn't caught it. It vanished behind a smile.

"Yeah, more than I can handle. Anyways, I was so embarrassed that Leah tagged me, but I had been to worried about Sam's reaction to my suggestion to even think about her."

"You were the one who asked Sam to let Edward come down here to watch out for me?" I gaped. I don't think any of the other wolves would have even dared to think about such an idea. And here was Rachel, here barely three days and she was already asking to break treaties and rules that had been in effect since before we were born!

Rachel's eyes became wary as she stared at me gaping at her. She looked like she was backed into a corner, or a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar. She shifted all her weight to one foot and started twiddling her fingers like a guilty little girl.

"It's to apologize for going behind your back and telling Edward about Leah's problem. He had said that you wouldn't be able to come back up here." she added in her defense. "So, I told him I'd try to get Sam to let, at least, Edward up here to calm his fear. You know, so he doesn't have to worry."

My heart softened. Rachel was actually worried that I might be mad at her. Her head was downcast and she was looking up at me through her dark lashes.

"Do you forgive me?" she whispered, holding her breath. I left Edward's side and wrapped my arms around her very tall shoulders. I had to stand on my toes just to get my arms around her. Her body tightened in complete surprise. Her body was as hard as a rock and so tense it felt like I was embracing a tree. A hot-blooded tree.

I started wondering if it was a mistake to react so quickly. I had no idea about how Rachel was brought up. What if hugging was to her like a bloodied cut meant to the Cullens; a sign to allow instincts to take over. I slowly withdrew my arms and took a step back. I kept my eyes on the ground, fearing what I might see if I looked into those blue eyes that had looked so delicate moments before.

"Um, of course you're forgiven, Rachel. You were just trying to keep me safe. It's no problem." I dared, and I looked into her face.

Shock was spread across Rachel's angelic demeanor. Her body was still frozen in the hold I had held on her even though I was now a few steps away. She didn't look upset or like she was about to lose control, just surprised that I had given her a hug at all.

"It's called a 'hug', Rachel. Don't have a cow." Jacob walked up behind her and wrapped her in a side embrace while rubbing away the sleep from his eyes. He looked like he had a really late night, making this early morning commotion too much for him to cope with. His hair was tousled and his pants (he wasn't wearing a shirt), were wrinkled beyond the point of ironing.

"Tough night, Jake?" I asked, staring at his ruffled form. He blinked at me and smiled.

"Yeah, it happens when I try to sleep with my eyes open." I knew what he meant. I would keep my eyes open if I had offered a suggestion that went against all the rules of my new family.

Rachel took a deep breath and her stiff form limped in Jacob's grip. Her smile was back, countering the apology in her eyes.

"I know what a hug is, Jake. I was just expecting her to slap me, not give me a hug and tell me I'm forgiven." I blinked in surprise. How much strength did Rachel assume I had?

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. Bella's had enough experience with punching werewolves to know _not _to." Jacob laughed, finally starting to wake up. The sun was breaking its light right across his smile, warming me instantly till I couldn't help but smile too.

"Ha ha." I forced as I wrapped a relaxed hand around Edward's waist. He had been far too quiet, so I looked up at his face. His gaze was no where in particular, but contemplating.

"So, what do you guys want to do today?" I asked, hoping to distract Edward more than anything.

"Well-" Rachel bit her lip and looked up at Jacob hopefully. Jacob didn't say an open response to Rachel's asking glance, but nodded slowly as he yawned a big puppy yawn. Rachel smiled and looked towards us with mischievous eyes.

"No way." was Edward's response to the proposal I hadn't even heard yet.

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun with more people. And it's not like last time when she did it by herself." Rachel retorted as she pulled away from Jacob. She took three steps towards us, put her hands on her hips and challenged Edward with her eyes. Edward lightly released me from my own embrace, his eyes burning with decisiveness and the air that left no room for compromise.

He walked gracefully to Rachel, leaving only inches between them and glared up at her. I hadn't realized that Rachel was actually taller than Edward. Not by much, but at least a few inches.

"There will be so many of us there that nothing will happen to her." Rachel assured.

"Can you guarantee that your _brothers_ won't get their fur in a bunch when they see me there?" Edward snarled. Rachel smiled, two bright dimples revealing the childishness in her face I had missed when we had first met. She nodded.

"Yup. If any of them do try anything, I'll be there to throw them off the cliff. You have nothing to worry. Unless-" Rachel's face became dangerous and teasing.

"Is the big, bad, cold, vampire afraid of a little water and a few pups." I choked on the oxygen going down when Rachel pinched Edward's cheek like she was talking to a child. She was treading on dangerous ground and I hoped that this peace in La Push wasn't about to be destroyed.

Thankfully, Edward smiled devilishly, his crooked smile caressing the worry out of my heart. He flicked her hand away and laughed when she didn't back away from his touch. It was on.

"Alright. You keep the pups under control and we'll come." Edward held out his hand. It was shaking slightly with the control he exerted over every finger. Every nerve.

"Deal." Rachel confirmed as she thrust her hand into Edward's without hesitation. They stared at each other, each trying to ignore the pain the other was trying so hard to inflict into their hand. Other than a twitch in the corner of Rachel's eye, the slight and brief decline of the corner of Edward's smirk, and the changing colors of the flesh of their fingers, the battle would have gone unknown. You know, if not for the sounds of bones popping that made me think of boulders colliding with each other.

"Alright, then it's settled." Jacob intervened. Rachel glanced at him, before returning her eyes to Edward with a cocked eyebrow. Edward considered, an eyebrow of his own raised. At the same time, the two of them let go. Something told me I didn't even have to be a mind reader to understand what they had agreed to, but I wished I knew what we would be doing.

Edward crouched down in front of me, signaling for me to get on his back. Okay, so wherever we were going, it would require getting there at a super natural speed. Or those in my group just weren't patient enough to get there on human feet. I sighed grudgingly before I climbed onto Edward's back and held on tight.

"Meet you there." Rachel said securely. I saw her exchange a playful smile with Jacob with a laugh. I couldn't feel my face as I watched their exchange. Jacob was laughing at something that only they knew. It was too hard for me to gulp and my head was fuzzy. Maybe that was why I didn't see them suddenly run into the forest.

"You okay?" Edward asked before he took off after them. The sound of his steady steps and the spray of greens that flashed past my eyes calmed my body enough to where I could answer a feeble, "yes," and ask myself, "What was that all about?"

"Where are we going?" I asked as Edward made his agile way through the forest floor I would most certainly trip on if I had been walking. Why did it feel like we were inclining?

"It's a surprise. Or at least that's what Rachel says." I scrunched my face and didn't ask any further. I waited for the 'surprise'.

"Ah, we're here." Edward finally said as we came to a stop. He helped me down and I was able to get my bearings of the place that I remembered all too well. I was instantly glad I hadn't decided to dress up for this visit and was proud of my choice of grubby shorts and a t-shirt.

We were on one of the cliffs that surrounded La Push. A flood of memories rushed to me from a time that felt like eons ago. A time when I had almost accidentally committed suicide and started a whole stream of incidents that had nearly ended the Cullens. I gulped.

Rachel came up next to me and pulled me into the rare early morning sunlight that bounced off my skin like a reflector. Rachel shook her head, amused at how I almost glowed.

"You really need to get a tan, Bella." she laughed as I took a better look around. This wasn't the same cliff! It was a lot higher than the one I had flung myself off of to get my Edward fix almost half a year ago. The sun was peaking its face over the horizon, but just enough to where it could warm my face. Just having sunlight changed the whole outlook of what I had seen in my adrenalin-crazed stage of my life. The water wasn't as murky, but a clearer blue-green as it hit against the rocks. Rocks. I hadn't been able to see them so clearly when the sun had been blocked by storm clouds. Another thing was very different from last time.

"Bella, nice to see ya, but did you have to bring your hubby along?" I turned at the sarcastic tone I knew to belong to Paul. He was shaking, but he was under control. An oddity for Paul. With another look around I could see that Embry, Quil, Jared, and to my surprise Seth were all watching either me or Edward in either swim trunks or just pants. None of them were wearing shirts except for an irritated looking Paul.

"Now that we're all here-" Paul growled as he pulled his shirt over his head. "-we can get this party started." Cheers of agreement rang and echoed off the cliff, only to be swallowed up by the roaring waves. Rachel's voice was heard above them all as she reached to take off her shirt.

Jacob was there to stop her. His hand was gripping the bottom of her shirt before she could pull it over her head. They were both frozen, Rachel glaring at Jacob and Jacob looking anywhere but at Rachel's face.

"Rachel-" he murmured, a slight blush creeping across his face. Rachel rolled her eyes, obvious aggravated.

"Chill, _Love_. After my first experience with you reserved pups, I learned my lesson." she lifted the shirt to reveal a spaghetti-strapped black tank top underneath that was a size too short.

"Emily let me borrow this so you wouldn't die of embarrassment." Her eyes were daring Jacob to keep holding on to the shirt. He didn't follow it, and quickly let go as Rachel peeled the shirt off, facing me. I thought I caught her murmur, "Immature little-" but I couldn't be sure.

Rachel came out of the shirt and found my stare of confusion. She made an amused noise with her teeth before walking over to me.

"We went cliff diving yesterday after you left." she confided.

"I didn't know that there was a dress code to go swimming." Rachel said absently I felt a blush spread across my face as I looked around the group of full grown boys around us. All of them had a look of embarrassment in each of their eyes.

"You mean, you-" I started, appalled and shocked.

"Hey-" Rachel growled defensively. "-_you _try growing up with a pack litter, most of them boys, that lose control of their emotions enough to go through a year's supply of clothes in a few weeks and have to walk back to camp for a fresh set, and in a pack that doesn't want to stop and pick up clothes every time you _accidentally_ lose your temper. Not to mention most of the adults in your family find human clothes as a restraint. Modesty flies out the window at about eight years old. And besides,-" Rachel crossed her arms over her chest. "-I had underwear on when Jacob stopped me. It's no less than what normal people wear to the beach. Sheesh." Rachel snarled as she turned and walked behind me.

"You're going to have to come into the light _sometime_, Edward." she called. I turned. Edward was still hidden in the shadows of the trees, his golden eyes sparkling with anticipation and concern. They flew towards me. I waited as he slowly walked into the light.

He had taken off his shirt and shoes and was left in his black pants. His perfect body glittered like diamonds in the sunlight, making every perfect inch shimmer and sparkle. My mouth dropped in awe while I heard some growls and snarls behind me. Tension was snapping the air in half. I caught Rachel stiffen at the sounds but glanced at her just as a smile touched her tightened lips.

"And I thought Bella was albino." she laughed. She turned and walked over towards the cliff. "Don't be chicken Edward. You're not going to melt." With the new challenge lightening the atmosphere, Edward smiled and walked towards a still baffled-by-his-beauty me.

He wrapped a cold arm around me and pulled me close. His icy skin was sending chills down my spine, making me dread the water even more. Even though it was already turning out to be a hot morning, I wasn't looking forward to the shock that my body was going to have when my body touched the rampant chaos of waves and rocks below.

"I'm not chicken. I just didn't want to _blind _you." Edward retorted.

"Oh don't worry about that-" Rachel smiled as she put her hair in a ponytail. "-I'm only just seeing bright and neon colors after looking at your _brilliance_." She bowed sarcastically before turning her back to us to look over the cliffs.

I couldn't help staring. Even though I knew it was completely rude and hurtful towards Rachel, I couldn't tear my horrified eyes from her back. The flesh not covered by her low-backed tank top was covered in scars. Scratches, teeth marks, wounds that looked like they had been there forever and wounds that looked like they were still healing made me sick to my stomach as Rachel laughed at a joke Embry had told. The shrill sound was able to wake me out of my trance, and I shut my eyes to keep away from the temptation to look again. I felt Edward shake me gently, trying to ask me what was wrong, but I wasn't ready yet.

It was a warm hand shaking my shoulder that made my eyes snap open. Rachel was crouched down next to me, her eyes understanding as they stared down into me and the obvious pain and pity in my face. She blew a stray strand of hair out of her face and smiled.

"They're not nearly as bad as they look." she whispered sadly. "Most of them were from me being careless during training exercises. So don't look at me like that okay? I don't like it." I wiped the tears from my eyes and the pity for this girl from my heart and looked back at her. She saw the instant change and smiled from ear to ear.

"That's better." she laughed as she turned to face the boys who were trying to figure out who would test out the temperature of the water. Edward squeezed my shoulder before he rose and walked to the edge next to a cross-armed Jacob. They spoke in whispered tones, obviously to keep me out of the loop because all the other wolves seemed to hear. As the conversation continued, it seemed that it was rising in intensity as both of their eyebrows were pulled down as they went back and forth. I strained to hear, but still couldn't catch what they were saying, but wish I knew why they looked like they were about to go to blows. I got even more nervous when the other wolves stopped arguing to listen to their argument. Some of their forms started shaking while inhuman growls rippled from their chests. This was getting bad really quick.

And then they both weren't on the cliff anymore. I looked around, wondering if they had run off until two loud plunges were heard hitting the icy water. My eyes flew to the cliff as I jumped from my seat. Had they thrown each other off? If so, were they going to fight in the water? Would the other wolves jump in to help Jacob? My heart was beating a thousand beats a second until I finally noticed the crouching figure that had all eyes on her.

Rachel was frozen in her bent over pose, her hands still outstretched as when she had shoved both Edward and Jacob off the edge. When had she even left my side!! She took a deep breath, stood, and looked over the cliffs.

"Hey-" she called to her two victims. "-now you _both _know that it's safe enough for Bella to jump off of. As long as one of you idiots are with her. After you cool down, you can come back up, okay?"

With that, the air was filled with laughter from the wolves still on the cliff. Embry gave Rachel a high five before Quil came up behind her and picked her up, swinging her around like a rag doll. She laughed and kicked like a kid and he put her down. She staggered like she was dizzy but quickly made her way back to my side.

"Hope you're not bored. Things are going to get interesting when those two get back up here." she snickered. I couldn't help the sinking feeling in my gut as I thought about that.

"Won't they be mad?" I asked. Rachel sighed and scratched her head.

"No doubt. They're already plotting my demise. They'll probably tag-team me and throw me off next." A loud splash signaled that the other boys were getting restless and taking Rachel's lead and throwing their brother's off the edge. Rachel laughed.

I couldn't help my eyes trailing to a bright pink scar on her shoulder. The wound looked like it hadn't fully healed yet, a deep gash that looked like it had been made with a blade. I couldn't see how far it went in, but I could tell it must have caused her a lot of pain. I couldn't look away fast enough to hide my stare from Rachel's gaze.

"My last alpha gave me that one." she murmured, tracing the long track of the scar. "When he found me with a family of vampires. He gave me this one-" she turned to where her other shoulder was right next to me, revealing three ragged stripes trailing down her spine. "-when I told him I was leaving the pack." I tore my eyes away and looked down at the sand.

Rachel touched my shoulder cautiously, still unsure of how much of her strength a human could take. I forced myself to meet her eyes that reflected the light of the sun like water. Her smile was sad and reserved but her eyes were open and clear.

"Believe it or not, Bella, but the majority of my scars were caused by family members."

"F-family members." I gaped. Rachel nodded sadly as she pulled her knees into her chest.

"How could anyone do that to someone they love?" I murmured to myself. Rachel had heard. Her jaw tightened and her eyes were squinting at something.

"Trust me when I tell you this pack is a lot tamer than the pack I grew up in."

"How so? Other than-" I grazed one of the scars on her shoulder. She flinched at the touch so violently that I had to pull away. Rachel paused to regain control with her eyes closed, took a deep breath and began.

"My pack didn't like the idea of living like humans. We were taught that if you could become a wolf, you would act like a wolf. That includes personal life and politics of a typical wolf pack. But when you mix a wolf's lifestyle with human ambition, things get corrupted." She paused, probably wondering if she should be telling me this.

"Instead of being born into your position, once you became a wolf in the pack you would have to fight for rank if you planned to survive. I was second in command from about the first week I changed."

"Second in command? When you were so young?!" Rachel laughed at my question. She pointed to her head.

"It's not that hard when wolves are used to being able to hear what moves your about to make and suddenly can't hear you at all. That's why our wars last so long. Unless one wolf is just significantly stronger than the other, a fight can go on for _days _at a time, nonstop."

"Wars?" all of this information was new to me. There were battles between werewolves? What caused them? How had they been able to keep them secret for so long?

Rachel looked overwhelmed by my questions, but just smiled.

"Yes, wars. Wars over territory, position, mergers. Pretty much anything that can start a fight has started a werewolf war in the past. I've lived through two wars myself, fighting in one of them.

"Most _vampires_ don't even know of the werewolf wars. It's because they are usually held so far north or so far south that they never get wind of it. We like being discreet with our fights. That's how we've avoided bounty hunters for so long. Uh, people who know of our existence that kill us for the fun of it." she answered the question that was on my lips.

"Wars, fights for ranks, wolf-bindings-"

"What's th-"

"I'll get to if you let me." Rachel laughed at my eagerness. It was light but it had a dark edge to it that made it seem painful for Rachel. Too forced. I wrapped my arms around myself and waited.

"Wolf binding was a way for the alpha to keep the population under control when we had a pup-boom. It kept werewolves in their human skin and kept them from being able to transform into their wolf form."

"How'd they do that?" Rachel's grip around her legs tightened. Her eyebrows fell down over her eyes as she stared at nothing. Her eyes were swimming and her jaw was tight, the muscles of her mouth clenched and taut through her skin.

"Simple, the Alpha would simply command that they never change back into a wolf again." she whispered in a tone that made me believe it was anything but simple.

Before I could ask further, Rachel's face became surprisingly relaxed, if not a little roguish. I couldn't get a word out before I felt cold moisture trickle on the back of my arm. I looked up to see a drenched Edward and Jacob, glaring down at Rachel and me.

"Well, wasn't that just as much fun as I told you it would be, Edward? How's the water?" Rachel asked, her brilliant carefree smile laid on her lips as she tried hard to suppress a laugh.

The boys' eyes were smoldering as they stared down at Rachel, but there was something in the air around them that kept me from worrying for Rachel's safety. They glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes before glancing down at her. Both wore impish smiles that warned me they were about to pull something.

"It was really fun. As for the water-" Jacob suddenly picked up Rachel by her arms and Edward grabbed her ankles. Rachel laughed her protest at the men who had her captive and wiggled in their grips, but was unable to break free as they hauled her to the cliff. I couldn't help laughing along with her.

"On the count of three." Edward sneered. They swung Rachel back and swung her. Her body was hovering in the air, no ground beneath her.

"Come on, you guys. Can't you take a joke."

"One." Edward started as her body came back towards solid ground. Rachel whimpered a giggle as her body was thrust forward again.

"Now, seriously. You wouldn't throw me off a cliff would you?"

"Two." Jacob continued, his smile radiating his enjoyment of seeing his imprint in such a predicament.

"Hey, I mean it. Put me down." Rachel glowered. The boys set their feet as her body came back the last time.

"Three!" both of them yelled as they heaved Rachel towards the air like a sling shot. They released and Rachel was hovering over the air. Instead of thrashing around, Rachel righted herself in the split second where she seemed to hover in mid air.

"I'm coming for you when I come back." she murmured as she disappeared beneath the cliff. I ran to the cliff to watch her dissent. She was now in the perfect position for one of the most graceful swan dives I'd ever seen as her body plunged through the water. She didn't even make a sound.

I turned in time to see the other boys jump in after their sister and Jacob give Edward a high five. Their proud smiles warmed my heart and made me realize something. Rachel had seen that coming, but hadn't tried to escape from their 'plot'. Had she planned that whole thing to stop the fighting? The idea that she had planned Edward and Jacob to get along through their desire to get back at her struck me as brilliant.

"Hey, Bella. You want to go for a jump?" Jacob asked me. He shook his soaked hair, spraying me with an icy mist.

"Uh-" if I had been asked half a year ago, I would have been all for it. But I was in my right mind now and the thought of jumping off a tall cliff with sharp rocks and icy water at the bottom didn't seem too appealing.

"What if I go with you?" Edward soothed as he touched my face with a clammy hand. "Nothing bad will happen and I'll keep you safe."

It might have just been my imagination, but I thought I sensed Jacob tighten next to me. He was holding his breath and when I looked at his face, his careless smile wasn't there. It hurt me to see him like that.

"How about all three of us?" I asked, glancing at Jacob out of the corner of my eye. He exhaled and he seemed to relax a little bit at the idea. All his tension rubbed off on Edward, though he was better able to hide it behind my favorite crooked smile. It hurt me, but I couldn't find myself recalling my idea.

"Whatever you want." Edward cooed as he took my right hand in his icy and gentle grip. Jacob's smile brightened as he took my left hand in his hot and firm palm. It was like I was between two polar opposites as I walked to the very edge, both keeping my jelly legs steady as my stomach fell into my toes.

We got into the position we would be in when we jumped and I did something I shouldn't have. I looked down. Yup, this cliff was significantly higher than the last one I jumped off of. I could hardly see the werewolves already in the water. It seemed to have grown since I watched Rachel dive into the dark depths below. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"You don't have to." Edward stated, obviously aware of the change in my heart rate.

"She can handle it." Jacob stated with a smile to me.

"Let's just get it over with." I whispered through chattering lips.

"Ready? On three." Edward called from what seemed like miles away. I heard his voice call each number slowly, but my head was buzzing with the sounds of the water hitting the boulders below. Lost in the shrieks of the seabirds flying around us. I felt like I wasn't in my body anymore, but staring down at myself staring at the water.

"Three." I was suddenly back as Edward and Jacob pulled me off the edge and every organ in my body flew into my chest. It felt like I was flying, but then gravity ripped that delusion away with a sweet sensation pulling me down. I felt the adrenalin rise into my throat, urging me to scream and yell. I let it take over and heard my exhilarated voice ring in the air as the wind blew my hair upward while everything else was pulled down.

"Hold your breath." Edward yelled through the air and I forced the rampaging wind down my throat just in time to feel the icy water cover me. It wasn't as cold as I had feared. It was actually a comfortable temperature in the heat of the day. It was energizing me as I sank deeper and deeper into the current. It was so awesome!

Suddenly a strong, cold hand started pulling me back towards the surface. I broke through and filled my lungs with oxygen.

"That was amazing!!" I yelled. Rachel's laughter came from behind me. Her face was lit up with her smile as she tapped the water towards me, splashing my face.

"Oh yea?" I challenged, and with my arm not gripped by Edward I splashed her back. Jacob and Edward both helped me in my battle, Rachel out numbered three to one. It didn't help her when Paul decided to go for another jump and made her his target. She barely dodged out of the way, but he grabbed her ankles and pulled her under the water.

We played that way for hours, not noticing when the clouds gathered and sprinkled us with rain as we fought. I couldn't help moments when I would stare at Rachel, her scars barely visible above the water. My mind would warp, trying desperately to understand what kind of world could honestly want to hurt this fun and gentle person. Her eyes would always meet mine and she'd splash me, ensuing another match that brought me back to reality.

When we finally did get out, my fingers and toes resembled prunes and my hair was sticky and gross with bits of seaweed clinging to their strands. Rachel got out of the water and shook violently all over. When she stopped she was bone dry.

"How do you do that?" I asked before I could catch myself. Rachel laughed.

"Practice and a few brothers who are permanently stuck in their fur. It helps in the arctic." she stated as she threw her too big t-shirt over her shoulder.

"What should we do now?" Seth asked, shaking his head in almost the same manner as Rachel but not nearly as effective.

"Eat!" rang three or four voices at the same time. I snickered as I wrapped my arms around myself to warm them. Rachel threw her shirt to me and I welcomed it. I needed help to get into it, it was so big. I got lost and confused the arms as the head hole. Luckily Edward found pity on me between his laughing and helped me put it on correctly. It hung down to my knees and the 'short' sleeves almost went down to my wrists.

"Yup, Jacob's clothes are a little big on me too." Rachel said with a sigh.

"Only a _little_?" I gaped as I held the shirt out around me.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy." Jacob stated proudly.

"Helloooo," Seth said, tossing his arms out to get the attention back to his original question.

"Rachel already agreed to tell us her stories today. Why don't we do that after we eat?" Embry suggested.

"Rachel's legends?" I asked.

"Yeah. Rachel's pack is pretty old and has carried on legends about why we can morph and stuff for centuries. Why don't you and Edward come?" Seth asked.

I loved Seth. He was such a cool kid. Ever since he and Edward took down Victoria, they had become living proof that vampires and werewolves could be friends if they wanted to be. The first of his kind in his pack.

I looked towards Edward who had a vacant look on his face. He shrugged in a way that told me, "It's up to you.".

"Okay, but let's eat first." I begged as my stomach growled for emphasis. Jacob took Rachel's hand and led the way back to camp as Edward took mine. While conversations circled around us, I couldn't pull my eyes from the werewolf couple in front of us.

Nicolette- Woohoo. Another long chapter. Now, I'm going to ask again. PLEASE REVIEW! For those of you who do review, thank you so much. Your input is greatly appreciated. Please Review. I don't know how else to ask. Hope you like this chapter.

P.s. Before anyone writes to me and tells me that I'm a freak because of the way I wrote up Rachel not caring about wearing clothes and such, please know that it is significant later and I'm using it to show how wild her old life used to be (if you didn't get that already) Thanks a lot! -


	12. Legends of the fang

"I'm stuffed." I sighed as I leaned back onto Edward's shoulder in front of the camp fire. We had eaten like kings at Emily's, though she was a little hesitant at first when she saw Edward. With a low bow from Rachel, that was less than welcome, and a quick joke however, Emily served us a feast with Edward stayed by my side. The sun seamed to fall too quickly as the laughter and stories were shared around the new flame. Rachel, still reluctant to touch human food, went off hunting and had just returned, her stomach full and her face full of energy brought life to the outdoor laziness that came from all the food.

Her steps instantly took her to Jacob, who was there ready to greet her with open arms across the fire. It was a little nauseating seeing imprints interact with each other. Especially so with Jacob. Maybe it was because I had once been in love with him that I noticed how he looked at her. How he acted around her. He was far more gentle.

He wasn't the only one who seemed to simultaneously change. The careful, powerful, and playful child Rachel I had seen disappeared when her eyes locked onto Jacob. Her face would brighten, almost glow, her restraint vanished, her childishness replaced by maturity, and her power seemed to melt in his arms. Her eyes were trusting and completely at ease with him and her smile seemed able to brighten the darkest sky.

Jacob wrapped an affectionate arm around her waist and pulled her to him, kissing her cheek gently before pulling her down beside him on the grass.

"Good hunting?" he asked. Rachel shrugged but wore her smile happily. She curled up in the grass against Jacob's side and laid her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were memorizing every portion of Jacob's face while he traced designs on her arm. They seemed almost oblivious to everything around them. The way they were staring at each other, they may have well been.

I heard Edward clear his throat next to me, pulling them both back instantly. I hadn't even realized how tense my body had become until I released a held breath. Mountains of pressure left my spine instantly.

"Thanks for that." I heard Quil whisper in Edward's direction. "It's gross when they get like that. I thought Emily and Sam were bad but-"

"Thought Emily and Sam were bad at what?" Emily said as she crossed her chest, a wooden spatula in her hand and Sam next to her, an eyebrow raised. Quil forced a laugh before quickly retreating away from the armed Emily.

I saw Rachel's body become rigid the moment she had seen Sam, as though she were going to stand. Jacob held her arm firmly and she stopped. She took in a deep breath and tried to force herself to stay seated, molding back to her former position next to Jacob. It was like yesterday when she couldn't help bowing to Sam and Emily. It was like instinct. It was like breathing to her, and trying to stop it was like a slap in the face. I saw it in her stunned face. Why did she do that?

"Hey, since we're all here, well, everyone who wants to be here,-" I looked around and new instantly who Paul was mentioning. Leah was no where near the gorging we had just completed. "-why don't we get the stories underway." Paul asked as he settled himself down across from Edward and me, his eyes strictly on Rachel and Jacob.

When I turned my attention back to Rachel I saw her finally relax, though she couldn't seem to bring her eyes to meet Sam's. She closed her eyes as a breeze hit her skin and breathed deeply. Her face seemed to age almost instantly from the fifteen year old I knew she was to the twenty-one year old I had thought she was.

"Very well." she stated. With that, Emily's hand was suddenly holding a notebook and a pen in the other. It was just like when Billy had told the Quileute legends what felt like an eternity ago. Rachel's eyes rose above the group towards the sky as Emily prepared. Then it came.

"My people came from across the ocean and were known as the Kaska tribe. They landed in the north and found a peaceful existence there. They became a tribe before any other in history.

"I have heard the legends of the Quiluete's and must admit that I am happy that they have kept so much of their history. So many packs in this day and age turn away from their past to repeat the mistakes in the present.

"My pack, like the Quileute here, were not an ordinary people but had magic flowing in their blood. Magic that could have taught them to fight with their spirits, but they were peaceful and turned a blind eye to their own strength. All of their strength was then left to their medicine woman, Pauwau. She was the first of what Billy described as a spirit warrior, but by far more powerful. She was one who was entwined with every aspect of the earth. She had a connection that was not normal even for the wolves of this generation. She used her connection to protect her people, alone she protected her people from several growing tribes that were bent on learning their secrets. She called the forces of nature against their enemies, including animals and elements alike. Soon, our tribe was known as the ghost tribe. One that was not man or beast, but earth in essence.

"But this time could not last forever. For all of her protecting Pauwau became weak from all the battling on her own. She found comfort in her partner, Alo, the only other who was willing to learn the ways of the spirit warrior to protect the village. They became with child during one of the coldest winters ever in history. Children were dieing days after they were born and songs of joy were mixed with songs of sorrow as a mother would look at her first born and then bury him the next day. Alo begged Pauwau to rest and to allow him to move her to a warmer place for the baby's sake, but she refused to abandon the village.

"Then, one day, when it was halfway through her pregnancy, Pauwau was drawn into some sort of trance that beckoned her outside. She followed it's call silently under a blue moon, not knowing why her soul seemed to follow the call so longingly." Rachel's eyes were sealed away in the memory, lost in the thoughts of the past. I glanced at Edward and he was staring at Rachel, seeing what she saw.

"She traveled for miles unknowingly until she came to the river that separated her territory from another tribes. In the icy water was a brown shewolf with a cub in her mouth. Her body was half-frozen and bleeding from the arrows of the enemy tribe's bows, her eyes still open and her body shivering from the cold. The sound Pauwau had heard, was the mother's cry touching her soul.

"Pauwau gathered the brown and soggy pup into her arms and the she-wolf gazed up at her.

'I bless you and your children from this day on.' the wolf spoke to Pauwau's soul as she drifted beneath the current." Rachel paused and gazed into the flames to allow Emily to catch up, the only sound was her pen against the paper.

"Pauwau carried the starving and shivering wolf cub back to her village and cared for it as if it were her own. She could always see the understanding of the young one in its bright blue eyes as it stared up at her. She fed him and kept him warm in her teepee while fighting the war on the other front with her love. As the pup grew, he became stronger and larger than any wolf any had ever seen before. He bonded with Pauwau and helped her fight as the war drew longer and longer and her time for delivery grew shorter and shorter.

"As time continued, Pauwau learned that she could somehow communicate with the wolf. Understanding his meanings and he learning her knowledge as time went on. She could communicate with him as though she were speaking to another human.

"finally, while out for a walk with her wolf companion, Pauwau went into labor as icy rain began to trickle from the heavens. The wolf carried her on his back, back to the village where she delivered a little girl with bright blue eyes, the same as the wolf that had saved both their lives. She asked the wolf to name her. The name given was Huyana, or falling rain.

"The wolf cared for the child as the war started to come to a close, teaching her all the ways that she had taught to her mother. One day while walking with the wolf and Huyana to the river for a drink Pauwau looked down at her footprints in the fresh mud. Instead of two pairs of human footprints there, just three sets of wolf prints sank into the sticky riverbed.

'What does this mean?' she asked her friend. 'It means that for your gift of life to me, my mother has given the gift of existing in two forms to you and your children. I am here to keep that promise with this child.'

"Sitting by the water that evening with her wolf companion on one side and her child on the other she looked at her reflection, a brown female wolf looking back at her and a cub with the purest white fur looking at her with the blue eyes of her child.

"Pauwau and her love died in the great war as the first ever to change into her wolf form and taking out the last of her enemies. Her daughter became chieftess at an early age and reigned with her wolf brother in a time of peace.

"But the wolf could sense another storm brewing over the ocean and continued to teach Huyana the ways of the shape shifters. She found in him what we now know as imprinting and learned the ways of the wolf and taught him the ways of man. With time the wolf was able to change into a man and was therefore named Cheveyo, or Spirit Warrior. Together they fought against the cold new enemies that seemed to have followed their scent across the ocean and kept the peace they had worked so hard to keep." I gasped. This legend sounded almost exactly the same as the Quiluete's. Vampires had visited their lands just as they had visited La Push.

"They fought valiantly, all of their spirit warriors defeating any enemy they came across. Their numbers grew as their family became larger and the shifting ability passed from parent to child. But with power came greed. The normal villagers wanted to take over other villages with the powers of the chiefs and their offspring. With this darkness in their hearts, the tribe became deaf to the voices of the leaders and tried to enslave them to do their bidding. With that last betrayal Huyana, Cheveyo, their children and grandchildren abandoned them, to defend the lands that they had been born to protect.

"When Cheveyo was certain there was no more that he could teach Huayana, he allowed his mother's spirit to retrieve him with a single request. 'Protect man from itself, and the demons that mean to destroy them.' He vanished in flame and song. Or so one of the legends say."

"what really happened to him then?" I found myself asking, drawing close to Rachel's words as they painted the picture in my mind. Rachel's eyes glistened and her face hardened.

"No one knows but Huayana. She is the first to be able to block her mind from others of her kind."

"As time continued, Huayana sent her children to teach the ways of the shape shifting- spirit warriors across the nations. She wanted man to be able to defend itself. She kept a small group of her strongest wolves with her at all times in order to keep the newly forming packs in line. Today that pack is known as the Masturi, the royalty of our breed and the keepers of the laws of the old world."

Silence crept among the group, just the crackle and screams of the wood on the fire was heard until Paul arose from his position.

"Great story and all, but that doesn't really explain where our pack came from." he sighed. I watched Rachel's gaze take on a pitying look as she looked at Paul. As though she felt sorry for him because of his ignorance.

"Doesn't it? Even in your oldest legends, wolves were the guides of your people. The spirit guides. The one you know as Kaheleha of the old times, was taught by a member of Huayana's pack, born from one of her children and a human man. A wolf that could not take a human form but was able to give his form to a human if ever needed. Without that connection to both worlds, your ancestor never would have been able to change into a wolf." I thought about that. A wolf unable to become man without giving up himself for man. Seemed like such a sacrifice.

"Well, how do we know that these aren't just fairy tales?" Paul continued. "We can't really read your mind to find out if your leaving stuff out or anything." Rachel's back straightened and if she had been wearing her wolf fur, it would have been standing on end. Paul jumped back and hunched down on all fours defensively until Rachel sighed and shook her head.

"I suppose if you ever _meet_ Huayana you could ask her. Though I would hope you never get that close to the Masturi." My mouth dropped.

"Huayana still lives?" Edward asked next to me, just as bewildered as I was. Rachel nodded.

"She refuses to put her wolf guardian to rest until she finds the next heir to the Masturi name. She has of yet to locate such a wolf."

"But the way you make her seem, she must be older than dirt!" Paul guffawed. Rachel looked like she was barely able to control herself at that. If Jacob wasn't so closed to her, I was certain she would have jumped up and taken Paul out with a single chomp of her teeth. Instead her jaw and the corners of her eyes tightened.

"Our legends go very much along with the Quileute legends, though they are far older. Huayana's story alone goes back to the beginning of the Volturi. Maybe longer, but she insists she's only one-thousand, six-hundred, and twenty-two years old. No one can argue with her. She still looks like she's in her twenties." My mouth dropped. The idea of living that long was mind boggling to me. Shocking! Not possible! Would I be able to say that about me and Edward one day?

"I bare her physical attributes, as do most of her ancestral grandchildren. They are usually traits that come from the female's side, meaning that my mother was her great-great-great something grandchild." she stated to change the subject.

"So when you transform-" I started.

"-I bare white fur and the blue eyes you see me wearing now." Rachel finished with a blink of her long lashes.

"Why do you hope that Paul never get the chance to meet with Huayana? Wouldn't that be a chance for the Quileutes a chance to learn more about their history?" I asked. Rachel didn't blink as she stared at me. She couldn't even fake a smile as she answered.

"Because the Masturi are just as strict with their rules as the Volturi. If they think anything a threat to their people or mankind in general, it doesn't exist. It's as simple as that. If you tick them off, your dead. They are powerful and ruthless. Their speed is incredible, their strength unimaginable. While you vampires get weaker after your first year-" Rachel directed to Edward. "-we get stronger. But you don't have to worry my friend. They don't bother themselves with vegetarian vampires. They only go for the big killers. Animal-feeding vampires are too valuable to us as information gatherers to be disposed of so easily." I gulped at that. Was she serious? From the tightening in Edward's fingers around my shoulder, I would have to say she was. I didn't know if I should be comforted in the fact that this upper class of werewolf was too powerful to concern themselves with my new family, or not.

"Well, we've been out for a pretty long time." Edward stated as he looked up at the darkened sky. I couldn't believe how quickly time passed when stories were being told by firelight and an entire civilization I had believed to only exist in books a few years ago was made clear to me. I didn't want it to stop. I wanted to learn more about the world I had been blinded to by the human concept of reality. I wanted to keep getting more out of Rachel of her life.

"Hey, Rachel-" I found myself uttering. Rachel's eyes turned on me, blank and surprised. So did Edward's and Jacob's. I felt my pulse rushing from the embarrassment of being stared at.

"Do you and Jacob want to go on a double date with me and Edward tomorrow? We could watch a movie and catch dinner and talk some more." I whispered.

I didn't look up at first, worried about Edward and Jacob's reactions. That is, until I heard light-hearted laughter.

"I hope it's better than the fake gore you picked last time, Bells." Jacob said through a chuckle. Edward was smiling, too. Like he was amused at a child asking a very simple question. My eyes slid to Rachel.

Rachel's expression was completely different. Her face was scrunched in confusion, not understanding. Her desperate eyes slid to Edward and asked him something no one else could hear. Edward burst out laughing, clutching his gut in an effort to restrict himself.

"It's another way of saying of you, Jacob, Bella, and I to hang out as couples. We'll probably see a movie in a theater and eat dinner somewhere. All the while talking about ourselves and stuff. The girls usually put on makeup and try their hardest to become even more radiant then they already are-" he added as he pulled me to his side and kissed my throat.

"-and just have fun. Is that a good description of it Jacob?" Edward asked. I watched as Jacob wrapped a loving arm around Rachel and smile on his lips.

"Yup. Just fun. I'm in. It'd be totally worth it to see Rachel in makeup and a dress." he added as he gave Rachel an extra squeeze.

Rachel eyebrows were pulled down, making deep lines in her beautiful forehead as she though about something that darkened the skin in her face.

"You don't have to, Rachel." I added when her concentration reached a new level of deep. The absorption in her dilema vanished instantly and a weak attempt at a smile replaced it.

"No, no. I want to go. But-um-" Rachel fiddled with her fingers, nervously as she pulled away from Jacob and walked to me.

She bent to where her face was just inches away from my face and whispered, "It's just, do you think I could ask a favor of you and your new family. It's kind of important." Her voice was almost frantic with worry. What could the favor be that it would darken the tone of her face and her glancing nervously back at Jacob as Edward released another stomach full of laughter.

Nicolette

I have to say that this is one of the hardest chapters I've written so far. If anyone has any suggestions that could help it flow a little better, please let me know. Which brings me to another point, **please PLEASE** review! I really want to hear what you all think. The reviews I get really help me continue, thinking that people out there actually enjoy this story. It also discourages me into thinking that people just don't care enough to review and it takes me longer to write the next chapter. Just saying. Please help me out.

Thanks.

Nicolette


	13. Double Date

"This is ridiculous." Rosalie growled as she forced the brush through the black satin hair on Rachel's head with enough force to kill a less, more fragile mortal like myself. Even so, Rachel flinched with each flick of the brush and sat as straight and motionless as she could as Rosalie pulled out the heated curling iron.

"What's more ridiculous?" Alice whined as she dipped her makeup brush back to the contents of a small bottle filled with silver liquid. "That you're doing a werewolf's hair, I'm doing her makeup, or that our dear brother is going on a double date with two dogs?" Rachel cleared her throat to let the two griping sisters know that there were only so many insults she could take.

I really felt sorry for Rachel at that moment. I had grown accustomed to Rosalie and Alice's ways of dress up and had been prepared for the label brand powder blue t-shirt and hundred plus dollar jean skirt I now wore. My face was covered in layers of Alice's perfected makeup techniques and it all seemed normal to me.

Rachel wasn't so lucky.

"I'm sorry to both you Cullens, but I literally was raised by dogs who can't tell the difference between eye liner and base." she paused as she looked at the many assortments of concoctions Alice had at her disposal. "That-" she questioned as she pointed to a very expensive basin of blush. "-_is _eyeliner, isn't it?"

Alice looked horrified and set back to work with a new passion lit in her eyes. "I'm going to teach you my ways, pup. For the sake of your children to follow. Who knows what they'll attempt if _you're_ the one giving them makeup lessons." Rachel laughed lightly, but the growl hadn't left the tip of her chuckle since she had arrived at the Cullen manner.

It had surprised me when Rachel had asked help finding something to wear and assistance in putting on makeup. My first thought to her ignorance was because she was such a natural beauty that she didn't need makeup and any clothes would look good on her. What she said shocked me.

"I don't have any clothes." she had whispered to me when she arrived at the house on full alert that morning. "I came here with the clothes on my back and a dress Eliza leant to me. That's it. Why do you think I've been borrowing Jacob's clothes? I'm afraid to get into my bank account at home, Emily's way too tiny for me to fit into anything she wears, and Leah-" Rachel didn't have to finish that for me to understand. What surprised me even more was when Alice and Rosalie had jumped to the challenge after just a short session of hissing and growling on both sides.

Now, at 12 o'clock in the afternoon, a werewolf was sitting in Alice's exquisite little room in a parlor chair, being smothered by two vampires who were too determined on their mission to allow the whole werewolf versus vampire feud to get in the way.

"Honestly, has anyone ever brushed through your hair?" Rosalie grimaced. Through a flinch, Rachel shook her head.

"Didn't really have the time to brush our hair when we were running from bounty hunters or on a hunt." Rosalie just tilted her head in understanding and continued her pulling and tugging on the already beautiful hair of the pained werewolf.

"And with this-" Alice was biting on her bottom lip as she smoothed a layer of gloss over Rachel's lips with her fingers. "-will do it."

Until this point, I had only seen Rosalie and Alice hovering over a large mass in a chair. As they stepped back, I felt amazement and shock spread across my face. They had worked another miracle.

Rachel's long hair was curled and pulled away from her face with silver dragonfly hairclips that sparkled with the slightest jerk of her head. Her face was painted to where she actually looked younger, more like an eighteen year old rather than a woman in her twenties. Her heart shaped face looked like a doll, a smiling and nervous doll. The silver eye-shadow made her eyes pop and shine and the feathering effect Rosalie had done with a few strands of her hair made her model-like features become more human. You know, as far as humans can resemble angels that is. She was wearing one of Rosalie's tightest silver shirts that complimented every curve of her perfect body and a blue skirt that became a miniskirt on her long form. Her feet wore the simplest form of black converse, mostly from the fear that she may just fall out of high heels and that her feet were just a size or three bigger than any of the Cullen women. The shoes were most reluctantly given by Emmett.

With a rainbow-polka dotted, silver Dolce and Gabbana purse from Rosalie's enormous collection, Rachel looked like she was about to go for a stroll down the red carpet, not to a cheap movie in Port Angeles and dinner with a couple of friends.

At least, if she didn't look like she felt awkward in the clothes.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked again as she looked herself over. Her question was once again retorted with dramatic sighs from Rosalie and Alice, both of which had taken a few steps back to examine their work.

"Will stop asking that? And stand up straight. You look amazing. If you smelled better, and I didn't have a complete hold over Emmett, I may just have had to kill you." Rachel finally smiled at that.

"That guy? Like me? As if. He'd probably kill me before you even got the chance to try."

"True." Rosalie murmured with a shrug.

I was happy to see the exchange between werewolf and vampire happen almost calmly like that. I was surprised at how quickly they had been able to tolerate each other though. It just went to show that werewolves and vampires could get along, if they have a common goal. Weird that in this case it was helping a werewolf go on her first date.

Rachel finally looked over at me, her eyes begging me to tell her my honest opinion. Words couldn't describe how jealous I was of how she looked. So I walked over to her and took her hands in mine.

"You're going to knock Jacob off his feet." I stated. It was harder for me to get the words out than I had anticipated but the effect was just what I pictured. Rachel's face instantly calmed and a genuine smile spread from ear to ear.

"Speaking of the dog-" Alice said, rolling her eyes and heading towards the door. Rachel's eyes jumped up before returning to mine, back to being worried. I gave her hand a squeeze and led her down the hallway. We practically ran down the stairs, Rachel's steps hesitant behind me.

We made it to the front door where the silhouettes of Jacob and Edward were seen through the glass door. Their clothes weren't as impressive as Rachel's and mine, but they still made their wearers beautiful. Clean cut shirts with well-groomed jeans and shoes, a big improvement in Jacob's case. They were talking in whispers behind the barrier the door created and I couldn't catch anything they said.

Alice cleared her throat and opened the door, Jasper suddenly behind her with the threat of a werewolf at the front door. With the swinging of the door, Edward turned around first to face us. My eyes met Edward's and I could have sworn my heart was soaring based on the smile that met his eyes. His gaze covered me in his stare, his smile cocking to the side the way I loved it. I felt butterflies in my stomach as he walked gracefully to me and swept me up into his arms.

"It shouldn't be legal to tempt me like this. Beautiful work, Alice. You too, Rosalie." he murmured absentmindedly to his sisters as he ran a hand along one of my bare arms. Chills ran up and down excitedly along my spine. He pulled my face up to his and kissed my lips, just locking my mind further into the trance he had me under.

A swoosh of a breath behind us brought me back into focus. I opened my eyes and couldn't keep a giddy smile from my face. Jacob's mouth was wide open, his twinkling eyes popping from their sockets as he stared at Rachel. His face was a shade darker than normal and a smile that looked like it hurt his face slowly climbed the way up his cheeks.

Rachel couldn't bring her eyes to meet his eyes, and fidgeted shyly in the skirt. Even so, I could see the smile on her bashful face. She looked so cute! Just like a girl going on her first date, I felt like a doting parent.

Then Jacob was rushing to her and holding her tightly against his body while trying to better look at her all at the same time. His hands trailed down her sides, through her hair, intertwined with her fingers. Her eyes finally glanced up at his through her mascara-covered eyelashes. Jacob's toothy grin assured her and she tussled his hair playfully.

"Wow, Rachel, I mean-" Jacob tried to utter, only to laugh at his own tongue-tied words. His eyes swept towards Rosalie and Alice, both waiting for the praise.

"Okay, I admit it. You two are _good_. Not that Rachel needed all that much to begin with, but-" Jacob mouthed 'wow' one final time before pulling Rachel to his side.

"I take it I look 'date' worthy, then? This'll be my first date so I needed professional help." Rachel giggled, pulling deeper into Jacob's side. She glanced back at her makeup, hair, and dress gurus with thanks written in her sparkling smile.

We drove to Port Angeles in Edward's silver Volvo with the girls in the back seat. While silence echoed against the radio in the front seat, Rachel was hardly quiet. She asked me one question after another about the place we were going to eat, what movie we were going to see, what kind of place Port Angeles was. I hardly had an answer for her before another one was spilling from her lips. If she hadn't been strapped to her seat, she probably would have rolled down her window, stuck her head out and barked questions at passing cars based on her excitement. Though, considering Edward's normal driving speed, it was in her best interest to stay inside the car.

We arrived in Port Angeles in record time along a boardwalk that would lead us to the restaurant Edward assured me all of us would enjoy. I had had to admit to him the night before, after inviting Jacob and Rachel, that I hadn't thought about Rachel's picky, nonhuman diet when I had opened my mouth. Edward had smiled and told me not to worry about it.

Rachel jumped out of the car and faced the bay with exuberant eyes before the rest of us had unbuckled our seatbelts. She was shaking with excitement as her eyes flew above her at the cloudless sky. She spun in a happy circle while eyes of onlookers locked onto her. Most of them were guys, gathering in groups as they watched the model-worthy girl spin and daring each other to go up to her.

Edward took my hand in his, his hold revealing nervousness before he could tell me. I looked up at his face and I could see worry in what he saw in the minds of some of those guys. My eyes jumped back to Rachel to see her completely absorbed with the view of the bay and oblivious to the attention her well picked-out outfit got her. Some of them weren't even ashamed with staring. At least until-

"Rachel, stop goofing off. Let's go." Jacob interceded, wrapping a powerful arm tightly around her. I watched his eyes turn to the guys who had gathered, only to see them sauntering off in the opposite direction with their eyes firmly on the ground.

"Oh, I can't help it." Rachel murmured in her defense as Jacob brought her back over to the sidewalk Edward and I were waiting on. I felt my breath catch back up with me and couldn't help the sigh of relief that followed. Edward relaxed at almost the exact same time, walking ahead to lead our little group to our destination.

"Try to control your excitement, please." Edward murmured to where only the four of us could hear. "You're drawing unneeded attention."

Rachel stiffened beside me so suddenly that I had to look at her. Her face seemed suddenly aware, her smile almost completely gone as she glanced around. Edward stopped walking, pulling me along with him to a screeching halt.

"I mean I really don't want Jacob to have to bite anyone for staring at you. Were you completely _that _oblivious to what happened just now." Edward added, as though to clear up something. His words meant little to nothing to me, and almost seemed to insult Rachel's intelligence.

What little they meant to me, the question meant the world to Rachel. Her face relaxed, but still remained cautious of all that was around her and pulled deeper into Jacob's side. Jacob stroked her side in response.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I wouldn't have bitten anyone." Jacob stated confidently with a side-glance at Edward. "Maybe broken a few bones. But no biting." I couldn't bring myself to laugh at his obvious joke. Neither could Rachel, but Edward seemed to find it pretty funny.

We walked along the boardwalk until Edward stopped us and I had to crane my neck to see where we were. My mouth dropped as the memory of the first time I had been there rushed in.

"La Bella Italia?" Rachel whispered to herself as she looked at the little Italian restaurant. That's right. La Bella Italia. The place Edward had taken me after I had almost been attacked during a trip my junior year. The place where I had asked him questions about his powers while chowing down on mushroom ravioli and coke. _This_ was Edward's idea of introducing Rachel slowly to human cuisine?

Edward held the glass door to the restaurant open while the rest of us walked into the wave of smells of spices and food. The tiny place was filled to the brim with people, unlike last time when we had been able to choose from a variety of tables just by walking in. Seats were filled in front with those waiting for a chance to sit down to order and others stood with irritated and hungry eyes.

A tired and overworked looking hostess straightened as his eyes met the four of us, obviously affected by the vampire and werewolf influence that everyone within twenty feet of one or the other could.

"How many?" he asked, his eyes constantly glancing towards a resigned and nervous Rachel. I had to say I felt bad for her. She had just barely gotten used to being around one human at a time, and now here she was surrounded by at least fifty strangers. All of them staring at her or at one of the members of her party. It didn't help that her nervous gaze made her look that much more charming.

"Four." Edward answered eloquently. "I have a reservation under Cullen." The host looked down at a list, his eyes gaping when reaching a certain point before gawking at Edward. In my mind, either the Cullens ate their a lot, which I immediately canceled out, or a lot of money was transferred to the tiny restaurants account for this reservation.

The hostess ushered in a young waitress who readily lead us through the maze of booths and tables to one of the most reclusive and secluded but beautiful tables of the place. Yup, Edward had written a _big _check for this little dinner.

I sat across from Rachel with Jacob on one side and Edward on the other. Our stunned waitress gave us our menus and walked off with her eyes jumping over her shoulder every few steps. I laughed to myself.

"Just like last time." I murmured towards Edward. He smiled as he laced his fingers on the table in front of him. I couldn't help staring at him as I remembered about our first date. Well sort of. He had seemed so unreachable to me back then. So divine that if I had gotten too close to him I would have caught on fire. Grant it, he still was like that way, too perfect for me to draw close to but at least I had no worry about melting at his touch. Well, in a literal sense.

Now, here I was sitting next to him with a wedding ring on my finger and a promise that I would spend the rest of eternity by his side. The contrast between the two, while in the place where it all started, was almost too mind boggling for me.

"It could help if you turned the menu right side up, Rachel." Edward's words of wisdom brought me back to the moment rather than the mirror images of the past and the present. Here, Rachel was staring at the menu like she had no idea what to make out of it. Jacob rolled his eyes and took the menu from Rachel, giving his suggestion of what she should eat. It was kind of cute.

"What are you going to get?" Edward asked me, his eyes warm with a smile. I didn't open my menu to know what I'd get.

"For tradition's sake, I think I'll get the mushroom ravioli." I said with fondness. Edward smiled. He remembered what I got last time too.

A weird noise came from across the table but by the time I looked over, Jacob was looking at his own menu, Rachel's disgruntled eyes glaring at him like he were a child. Her eyes were pained by something, her jaw locked tightly before she shook her head and returned her attention to the menu.

Our waiter, a young man with suntanned skin and well-kept brunette hair came with his eyes lingering on Rachel and me. When his eyes met the icy glares of Edward and Jacob however, he was very determined to keep his eyes down.

"My name is Richard and I'll be your waiter today. What can I get you to drink?" he asked, his sheepish eyes looking up at Rachel.

"Water." Rachel whispered shyly, her eyes darting around the room.

"Is something wrong, Miss?" Richard asked, seeming genuinely concerned for the wary expression in her gaze. Rachel sighed and looked directly at him, delivering one of her most controlled smiles.

"Not at all." she cooed. The waiter, being more affected by her eyes than I had the first time, was stunned and I could have sworn his face blushed to almost three tones darker in the two seconds it took Jacob to clear his throat.

"Root beer." Jacob grumbled. The waiter shook his head as though coming out of a trance and wrote down the order hurriedly. Poor guy. I kind of pitied him.

"Coke for me." I answered when directed. Edward ordered the same before releasing the waiter to fumble his way back to the kitchen.

Edward released a single chuckle while pinching the bridge of his nose. I waited for him to explain, my eyes expectant.

"That poor waiter, he's asking someone else to help him with our orders. He's afraid Jacob and I are going to jump him." he answered with another dark laugh.

"The thought crossed my mind." Jacob murmured.

"I know." When I glanced at Rachel to see how she was taking all of this, she seemed completely out of it and was begging me with her eyes to explain what our men were talking about. Before I could answer, the young waiter came with another waiter. He was a lot bigger built than Richard, but still looked tiny when compared to my comparison with Emmett. His grey eyes were very expectant as he gave us our drinks and made eye contact with me and then Rachel. I felt the air change around us and feared that something was going to happen if I didn't warn Edward to stop gripping the table so tightly or bring it to Jacob's attention that he was shaking the table.

"Hello. My name is Chris and I will be helping with your meal this evening." Chris said with a gleaming smile and an obviously fake Italian accent.

"Are you ready to order?" I took the initiative.

"I'll have the mushroom ravioli." I stated as I thrust him the menu a little too forcefully. I wanted him to go back in the kitchen before Edward _made_ him.

"And you, Signora?" he tested the fire, his eyes completely skipping over Jacob and Edward and going straight for Rachel. She looked towards Jacob and then at her menu.

"This, please." she stated, pointing to something on the menu. Chris touched her shoulder and looked down at the menu.

"Ah, Chicken Alfredo is-" he kissed the air for effect. "-squisito. Or delicious. Wonderful choice." He took her menu, holding it a little longer than need be before turning his less enthusiastic eyes to Jacob and Edward.

"Lasagna." Jacob snarled as he jabbed the menu into the waiter's hand, which I noticed he flexed quickly after. He wrote it down and then looked towards Edward.

"Nothing for me." Edward seethed. It surprised me how much venom he could put behind such a sweet smile.

I could tell that Chris was realizing that he had overstepped his limits when he added, "I'll have that out right away," without even an attempt at the Italian accent and nearly ran over Richard when making a break for the kitchen.

I couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped my control once we were left alone. Edward turned his warm eyes to mine, erasing any of the acid that had been directed at Chris.

"What's so funny?" he asked me gently.

"You two." I answered before another laugh snuck its way through. "It's like the roles have been reversed since last time." I watched as Rachel's face took on a perplexed reflection of Jacob's obvious confusion. Edward, however being there the last time when a waitress had completely ignored me and had her eyes on him (he had been completely clueless of it), was able to laugh.

"I must apologize then. I didn't know it had been this hard for you."

"Of course it was, but I couldn't come out and say that, could I? We were barely talking back then." Edward nodded, a dark smile smeared on his lips as he was taken back to that time.

Breadsticks were brought to the table and were quickly devoured between Jacob, Rachel, and me. Rachel had sniffed the bread before tasting it, another old habit her old life must have instilled in her. But after the first bite, she practically inhaled the breadsticks. Our food followed relatively quickly after that with the same effect. Rachel sniffed at it at first, squinting her nose at the strange arrays of spices but took the plunge and slurped up the noodles. She ate almost as quickly as Jacob did, both acting like they were starving. I couldn't disagree. The food really was as delicious as I remembered.

Rachel was the one who did most of the talking. She spoke mostly of her two years with the Turnhearts and avoided most things that would relate back to her family. She spoke fondly of hunts and races between them.

"But it wasn't always fun." Rachel murmured as she spun noodles skillfully onto her fork. Edward straightened at that and gave Rachel a questioning look.

"Yes. Eliza mentioned to me that something happened a few months ago, when they were told to visit the Volturi. Mentioned that you had been forced to go with them." The food I was swallowing got lodged in my throat when I heard that, and a fit of coughing followed. With one quick and powerful tap from Jacob, I was in the clear to stare at Rachel with surprised eyes.

"You met the Volturi?" I yelped. Rachel's nose scrunched in detest as she nodded. She tried to hide the fact that her hands were shaking by hiding them under the table, but that couldn't stop the dragonflies in her hair from trembling.

"I take it that's why Eliza mentioned that her last visit was a very _interesting _experience? She wouldn't go into detail." Rachel sighed and returned her controlled and motionless hands to the table.

"No, she wouldn't. It wasn't one of her prouder moments of me.""What happened?" I asked. Rachel's eyes looked back on the memory, a sudden gleam appeared in them that I almost missed.

"I wish you would stop holding us in suspense. I'm not used to not being able to hear what people are thinking." Edward snarled anxiously. Rachel laughed bitterly and raised her glass for a drink.

"I just bit Aro when he got too close. He was asking for it anyways." she took a sip of her water.

"You _bit_ him!? You bit the leader of the Volturi?" I whispered, unable to say it in a normal tone. Rachel shrugged indifferently.

"He just kept coming at me. He wanted to see if he could see inside my head and I didn't want him to touch me. I was in my wolf form and he just wouldn't take no for an answer. So, I let my teeth do the talking. He was in pretty good humor about it. I think he was a dog person in his former life." Rachel added. "Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be here right now. Then again, I may just intrigue him because he couldn't get inside my head. Who knows."

I was staring at her and I knew I should really avert my eyes, but I couldn't. This girl, no; this child; had bitten the most influential figure of the vampire community and had lived to tell the tale! When I looked at her I saw fragility, and a purity that was incorruptible. But when the image of her as a giant wolf take a snap at Aro without fear in her eyes and a smile on her wolfy face hit me, I couldn't connect the two. Had I been misjudging her? How gentle was she really and what amount of that gentleness came from the restraint she showed me because I was human?

Rachel seemed to have seen the fear in my eyes. She smiled and reached across the table to touch my hand. Her hand was fiery against mine, but her eyes were delicate as she stared me down.

"Sorry." she murmured before she pulled away and focused back on Edward.

"What time is that movie thing we were going to?" she asked in an effort to change the subject. Edward nodded, asked for the bill and we left.

Based on how low the sun was it had to be at least five thirty. I stood between Edward and Jacob. Rachel stood on the other side of Jacob, obviously trying to give me the space she thought I needed. I felt stupid and cruel to be doing this to her. I just couldn't find words to say to her, but I had to find a way to tell her that I didn't mind the fact that she had bitten Aro. I wanted to say that it had just shocked me because of the control she always showed, and I had been unable to picture her baring her fangs viciously against any creature.

"What movie are we going to go see, Edward?" I asked sheepishly. I was such a coward. Edward draped an arm over my shoulder, probably already knowing my conflict.

"It's a romantic comedy that got fairly decent ratings." I cringed. I wasn't really sure I wanted to see a romantic anything with a pair of imprints sitting right next to us. Apparently, I wasn't the only one.

"A romance?" Jacob whined. He gagged and wrapped a playful arm around Rachel. "I don't want you corrupting Rachel with that stuff! She's only fourteen." Rachel's face creased in frustration but she remained silent.

"It'll be a good movie. So stop whining, pup, and let's go get the tickets." Edward commanded with a laugh as we appeared in front of the theater.

Rachel and I stayed behind while the boys got the tickets and the popcorn. I stole a quick glance in her direction to see her looking around the place nervously. There were so many people around. My fear of underestimating her was dissolved instantly.

"You don't have to worry. You're too good to lose control around all these people." I said reassuringly. She smiled and seemed to relax a bit, but throughout the night I caught her eyes glancing around her as though keeping an eye open for something.

I felt tears appearing in my eyes as the heart felt moment drew out. The heroin of the movie had just confessed to the main guy's brother that she was in love with him. Maybe it took me getting married to actually appreciate romance storylines. I was actually enjoying myself.

An irritated sound resonated next to me, if not disgusted. I tore my eyes away from the screen to see what it was. Rachel was staring up at the screen, her face scrunched up in confusion and disgust. Her nose was ruffled and her eyes were trying desperately to look away from the events occurring on the display.

Edward snorted a laugh and wrapped an arm around me to pull me close.

"This is her first romance movie." he whispered in my ear. A thought struck me that had been puzzling me since the first time it had happened.

"I thought you couldn't read her mind." I whispered back. "I can, but barely. Only bits and pieces that she lets sift through. Otherwise, she's about as readable as you are." Another disgusted sound snapped my eyes back to the scene next to me. Rachel was now going as far as to cover her eyes with her hands and balling herself in an attempt to melt into her chair. Jacob was trying so hard not to laugh next to her and wrapped an arm tightly over her shrunken shoulders.

I found myself smiling before I knew it. When Jacob had told me that she was only fourteen, I couldn't picture it. Then with the whole situation that had involved Aro back at the restaurant, things had become awkward between us. But now, the cringing away from the love scene on the screen, the shielding of the eyes and the obvious disgust I could see through her clenched fingers really did show her true age and the placid girl I had thought Rachel to be. I snickered lightly, and turned my eyes back towards the movie.

"How do humans watch that stuff?" Rachel asked as she ran out of the theater. We were out on the dark street now. All light of the sun had shrunken beyond the horizon and the sky was pitch black with little flickers of light from the stars strong enough to poke through.

"It wasn't that bad." Jacob murmured through a chuckle. "You're just not used to that sort of thing." "Hello! I told you that before I went in the theater! The strongest rated movie I've ever seen was Pocahontas when I was six." Rachel stretched her back and popped the bones in her neck. "I'm just glad I don't have to watch anymore of that stuff."

"Not until our next double date." Jacob stated. Rachel cringed in obvious distaste and acted as to get a bad taste from her mouth. "Couldn't we go somewhere else next time? That place smelled funny and my muscles hurt from sitting in those weird fold out chairs." "You wouldn't be so sore if you sat in the chair normally." Jacob laughed.

They bantered back and forth, in my eyes, as a brother and sister rather than a couple. Their chatter was innocent and relaxed, like they had grown up together. They didn't embrace but still had the connection between their eyes that seemed to bind them together as they bickered harmlessly.

"Cute, aren't they?" I looked up at Edward while he smiled mischievously at me. I didn't know how to respond to that. Sure, they were cute, but I just couldn't bring myself to see them as a couple. I couldn't picture them living together and having kids. I couldn't see Rachel at an oven making Jacob breakfast before he went to work.

As though on cue with my thoughts Rachel jabbed her fist into Jacob's side and jumped to the side to avoid his responsive strike. Jacob picked her up and swung her around. I felt a bitterness I hadn't felt in a while return while I watched them goof off. I had felt it when I had first been made aware that Rachel would end up marrying Jacob and now came back with a vengeance. What was with my mood swings? One minute, I'm happy that Rachel is in Jacob's life. The next, I want to rip her away from him. I thought I had gotten rid of all those feelings for him, but then again-

"Hey, you two, if you're done goofing off-" Edward snarled at them and taking me out of my internal questioning. It felt good having his cold fingers laced with mine. They reminded me of what I had and what I should be grateful for. You hear that subconscious?!

Jacob and Rachel were following us to the car. Edward unlocked it and I opened the front door. When I looked back to ask Jacob if it was alright if I sat up front Jacob was in the middle of kissing Rachel under a light post. He was holding her tight, like at any second she would disappear forever and he would never get another chance. I couldn't pull my eyes away, though it was like looking at a very private moment. I felt like I was Rachel in the movie theater. I wanted to just sink into the leather upholstery of Edward's car and not be found.

Jacob released Rachel and they both walked to the car. I couldn't bring myself to say anything. I just sat down in the car and buckled my seatbelt with shaking fingers. Rachel wound herself to her seat and sat next to the window behind Edward. Jacob sat behind me. I wasn't sure of the conversations that were going on around me other than Rachel asking to roll down the window and Jacob telling her not to stick her head out. I was numb because I had finally realized my worst nightmare.

There was a good chance that I still had feelings for Jacob. That could be why I saw Rachel as a monster every time I saw her with Jacob but had no problem with her when we were by ourselves. If it was true, those feelings would hurt more than just Jacob. Countless parties would be affected, the most important one driving next to me. I didn't want to hurt him, but why was my heart so determined to do so? I knew I was in love with Edward! Why was I reacting this way?!

The car suddenly stopped and at first I wondered how long I had spaced out. Were we already back at the mansion? No, we were on the side of a road that was shrouded in darkness. It was completely dark, stars hidden behind a mass of clouds that would leave the greenery a drink in the morning. I looked next to me at Edward. His face was steely in focus, his eyes frigid as he searched for something inside his head. The dangerous gleam in his eye frightened me and I looked behind me to see if the others knew what was up. I could almost feel the frost freeze my blood when my mind computed what I was looking at.

Rachel's eyes were not human anymore. They were wolf eyes with pupils so dilated that I could hardly see the perfect blue irises that made her face so stunning. Her jaw was locked so tight that I could see the muscle strain through the skin and her nostrils were flaring angrily into the breeze coming from the window.

Jacob seemed as oblivious as I was, but his eyes were focused strictly on Rachel. His stare was left no room for my imagination to think that this was all a joke. I had never seen him so serious and I had seen him in quite a few tight pinches.

"So, you want to be let off here, Rachel?" Edward asked, his voice suddenly a lot gentler than his gaze had implied. My eyes jumped to Rachel again. Her eyes had not changed but a smile had been smacked hastily to her expression, the tip of a wolf fang breaking the thin line of her lips. If she had been trying to comfort me with that look, she was really bad at it. The smile made her look more like a devil than anything else and there was no doubt in my mind that something was wrong.

"Yes. Sorry to inconvenience you, Edward. I just really need to spread my wolf legs a little. Bella-" she said, looking at me with those demonic eyes. "-would you mind telling the other Cullens that I'll return their clothes to them tomorrow? I wouldn't want them to think I ran off with them." Her laugh was too forceful. I nodded numbly.

"Thanks. See you at home, Jake." Rachel unbuckled her seatbelt, kissed Jacob on the cheek and then lunged out the door. Jacob moved as though he would follow after her, but Edward locked the doors from his seat. Jacob growled a warning.

"Easy, Jake. Rachel just really wants to go by herself right now." Edward answered the challenge calmly. My mind riddled with questions. Why were they all acting so calm.

"What's going on?!" I finally yelled as Edward pulled back onto the road. Edward ran a hand through my hair lovingly, but kept his eyes on the road. Something that was proof that something was definitely wrong.

"Nothing, Bella. Rachel just caught the scent of something interesting and wanted to go for a run. Sam has been putting limits on how far and how fast she can run. She just needs to let loose for a little while. Don't worry." Caught the scent? What had he meant by that? I knew that even if I asked, he wouldn't tell me. He obviously thought that whatever was really going on would hurt me if I were to find out.

I glanced back at Jacob, hoping that maybe he would be willing to at least give me a clue of what was really going on. His eyes were gazing out the window, searching desperately for maybe a sign of the girl who had disappeared into the darkness.

I turned back around in my seat and pulled my knees into my chest. There was something going on. Something that no one wanted me to know about. The real reason for the tension in La Push. A reason why Edward wouldn't let me go into La Push without him even with Jacob there. A reason that my feeble human nature probably couldn't grasp.

It seemed like only seconds had passed when we were suddenly stopping at the boundary line and Jacob was jumping out of the car.

"It was a lot of fun you guys." he murmured half heartedly and with a half-hearted smile.

"Yeah. We need to do it again soon." I muttered. Jacob nodded solemnly and seemed to listen to the forest.

"Rachel's on her way back, Jacob." Edward stated. Jacob's eyes flew to my husband, suddenly filled with poorly hidden relief.

"Embry's in his wolf form right over there-" Edward nodded towards the trees. "-and she contacted him. She says that it was a nice run and next time she wants to race my car." Edward laughed. Jacob nodded and released a sigh of relief.

"So, will I see you guys tomorrow?" he asked hopefully, his question directed at me.

"Yes." I told him before Edward could argue. I felt Edward tense next to me, but kept it from his face.

"Kay. See ya." Jacob waved before he turned and ran towards the trees. Motionless silence followed before Edward put the car in gear and started driving home.

"Are you going to tell me what's really going on?" I uttered in the silence. Edward hesitated. His grip flexed on the steering wheel and I caught him chewing on the side of his cheek nervously.

"Edward." I growled a warning. His golden eyes flickered to me but then jumped away.

"Rachel caught the scent of a certain werewolf stalking us on the road." Edward didn't have to tell me who for my mind to jump right to Leah. How far was she going to take this?

"Is Rachel alright? Leah didn't hurt her did she?" I gasped.

"Oh no. Rachel's perfectly fine. Nothing happened. She just got home without a scratch on her. She honestly just wanted the chance to check it out and run on her own for a while. I wasn't lying about her wanting to get past Sam's restrictions. They're driving her crazy." Edward laughed, obviously out of the fire.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" I asked, upset that we were still at the stage where Edward felt he had to keep things from me to keep me sane. Edward stiffened again.

"Rachel asked for me not to worry you with details. Can we just leave it at that?" he asked, his voice edgy. I could tell there was still something that he wasn't telling me, but I couldn't bring myself to ask him. Especially since the lights of the mansion were now in view. I needed sleep and time to think. Things, against all odds, were getting weirder and by far more complicated.

Nickolette- wow! The longest chapter so far. Huh. This one took a lot of music, sleepless hours and a LOT of ice cream. Haha. Well, I'm hoping that for those of you who actually read this portion get it across that I really want you to review. (for those of you who do, Thank you so much!! You totally rock my socks) I really want to hear what you guys think about this story so far and what you think I could do to improve it. So….yea…….**_REVIEW!!_**……...thanks.

Nickolette Harper


	14. Nightmares and Reality

Edward and I left the mansion so early that the sun had barely shown itself beyond the trees when we got to the Black's. Edward had argued and had wanted to wait until later on, but I wanted to get there to make sure Rachel was alright.

I had had a nightmare last night. I was in a forest, as so many of my nightmares started since I had moved to Forks. Nothing stood out at first. I even heard birds. The uncharacteristic realism of this dream had me questioning if I was really asleep.

A rustle behind me. I slowly turned, my heart raging havoc inside my chest.

Leah was smiling in her beautiful human skin, her eyes more wolfish than human. Her brilliant smile revealed fangs too large for her mouth and a bitter laugh that reminded me of cartoons with a big bad wolf in them from my youth. Her eyes were dark and threatening, like they had been on the beach. It's what was next to her that made me doubt that I was truly in reality.

Aro, his skin shining so brightly I had to squint, was smiling at me. His eyes were hungry, his skin as pale and delicate as I had remembered against the black emptiness of his cloak. He stretched out his long fingered hand towards me, beckoning me towards him with a hypnotic gaze that made me want to turn and run. Even so, my feet were glued to the spot, torn between my reflex to run and the power he obviously had over me in this plain.

Simultaneously, Aro and Leah took a step towards me. My breath caught and I could feel my pulse beating frantically in my throat. I heard my mind telling me to run. To escape. To get as far away as I could before they caught me. The signal didn't seem to get down to my legs, which stayed quivering and unhitched from my spot.

Both of them stopped, their eyes jumping to beyond me and widening with surprise. Aro's smile widened but threats raged from his eyes to a point just behind me. Leah's teeth ground and an inhuman growl ruptured from her body with enough force that I feared she'd explode.

I slowly rounded on the new threat and found myself staring at a blinding white wolf. It's fur was so out of place in the mural of greens that I was forced to rub my eyes. When my hands fell the wolf was gone, replaced by a crouched Rachel. Her face was twisted with a wildness that wasn't human. Her eyes were black behind her dilated pupils, her lips curled back from her snapping teeth. Her brow was scrunched in concentration and the corners of her nose twitching angrily.

"Rachel?" I called to her, my voice barely audible even to myself. Her eyes snapped to me, as though seeing me for the first time. Her form melted, her physical features becoming more delicate and yet growing in a single moment. Her eyes softened as they appeared in a white wolf's face. They were that brilliant, but sad, shade of blue that made me feel that she was hiding behind a mask. That wolfy muzzle was her shield that kept her tame. Kept her human while the human disguise had revealed the complete opposite. The wildness in her nature. It seemed like even though her true form was human, the wildness in those eyes had shown the feral spirit she always tried to keep hidden.

"Bella! You must run!" the wolf somehow whimpered human words. I wanted to tell her that I wanted to, but couldn't bring my lips to move. All I could do was look back over my shoulder, gazing at the now crouched Leah and the laughing Aro. Aro outstretched his hand towards me again, his hand seeming to grow and was about ready to touch me. It was close enough for me to see a large crescent moon scar that stretched across his forearm. A bite mark that extended and gleamed with his skin.

Suddenly, Rachel was bounding beyond me. She was flying past me like she had sprouted wings instead of fur and was trying to get past the wall of werewolf and vampire.

"Run!" she yelped at me again as she seemed to run in slow motion past the too fast Aro. Aro disappeared in one of those too fast to catch vampire moments. Then he was behind her. Over his head he lifted a powerful hand, his fingers spread apart like talons of a hawk ready to swoop down on it's prey. Leah phased into her wolf form, a wolf twice as big as Rachel and her slobbering mouth was wide and ready to chomp down on Rachel's unready form.

All of this happened in slow motion. So slow I should have had time to yell out to Rachel. Warn her of the attack from behind and the snarling fangs from the side. I could have run to her, could have gotten in the way of Aro's sharp attack or stopped Leah's charging form. But I didn't move. I couldn't move. I couldn't yell. I couldn't cry. I could just stare and wait for the dream to end.

Rachel looked back at me, her body moving so slow that her eyes hit me particularly hard. They didn't see Aro's attack but her gaze was strictly on me. Her eyes held a look that I had never seen in real life. They were shocked and tears were brimming the edges of her crystal clear glare. Betrayal from the eyes of a child stared ice into my soul as Aro's hand came down.

My eyes snapped open and Edward had been by my side when I had finally found my voice to scream. It was four-thirty.

Safe to say I wasn't able to sleep after that. I had taken as long a shower as I could stand. What had that dream meant? It was already becoming foggy to me under the blistering heat of the shower's stream. Why hadn't I called out to her? Why hadn't I warned her? Why was Aro suddenly plaguing my dreams again? I remembered the story Rachel had told me of her meeting the Volturi and convinced myself that the whole thing was based on that. But what was with that look she had given me? A look of someone who had been betrayed so out of the blue that it had left the victim wide eyed, unable to respond.

After forcing down a bowl of cereal I demanded that Edward take me to Jacob's. When reminded that it was only six thirty in the morning I told him that I didn't care. I just had to get to La Push and check up on things.

It was Alice who convinced me to stay for a while. She told me that she really needed to talk to Edward in private and had stolen away my ride before I could argue. I plopped down on the sofa and waited for over an hour before Edward came into the living room, his gaze brooding and questioning. When he saw me, he almost seemed to rush me out to the car. He was driving more wildly than normal, his stare determined on our destination. I didn't question it, but I had to wonder: what had Alice plainly seen that had Edward actually rushing to the last place he seemed to want to go?

Edward opened my door for me and led me to the door to the Black's house, his grip defensive and ready to snap me behind him at any moment. I knocked on the door when no one appeared. Jacob and Rachel must still be asleep.

After a few rummaging sounds coming from inside and the sounds of wheels against the wood floor, Billy opened the door a crack and watched us cautiously. After seeing who we were, I could have sworn I saw him release a small sigh of relief but it had disappeared the moment his eyes met with Edward next to me.

"Nice to see you too, Billy." Edward said politely. Billy grumbled something but then looked to me.

"It's really early, Bella." he stated with a yawn for emphasis. I felt guilty as I looked at him. He was still in his pajamas. A long robe of a shirt that went down to his knees and slippers. He had had to get out of bed into his wheel chair and then come to the door to see one of his people's mortal, okay immortal, enemies and a person he probably considered a traitor to humanity in general. Even with guilt starting to try to make me want to forget the whole thing and go home, the memory of Rachel's betrayed and tortured gaze made me plant my feet and look Billy in the eyes.

"I'm really sorry, Billy. I just had to come check up on Rachel." I said in a rush. Billy's jaw tightened at that. Like he was in shock, that I knew something that I shouldn't and had just revealed it to him. Edward's grip around my back flexed but then returned to normal.

"Could have called." Billy growled. Yeah, and that would have woken you up and gotten the reassurance I needed, I thought to myself. People, me being excluded, were always better liars over the phone than in person.

"May we come in?" Edward pressed. Billy hesitated, like he was seriously contemplating slamming the door in our faces. When he looked at my desperate face again though, his resolve crumbled. He rolled his eyes and swung open the door.

"Just be quiet. We just got Rachel back to sleep a few hours ago." I flinched at that, but Edward guided me smoothly through the door.

We sat in the tiny living at first only staring at each other. Billy was determined to burn a hole in the center of Edward's forehead, his narrowed eyes never leaving Edward's face with anything but an angry frown. Edward returned the stare, his eyes more neutral and relaxed than his opponent.

The living room was different. The furniture seemed moved around as though the person who had last been there had bumped and run into everything in a frantic hurry. The place looked like it had been robbed, but the robbers had forgotten to take anything. A blanket lay in shreds at my feet, but I looked past it and tried to focus.

"What do you mean, you just got Rachel back to sleep a few hours ago? I thought she got home a little after we dropped Jake off?" I asked, trying to distract Edward and Billy from their eye staring contest. It worked. Billy's tired eyes shifted to me and became a little more gentle.

"No, she went running for a while, to patrol the area. She got in about midnight. Which is usual. But-" Billy's eyes jumped back to Edward, wondering just how much he should say.

"Rachel's having hard nights too." Edward told me for him. Billy looked shocked, it being the first time he was actually aware of his mind being read by my husband. His eyes crackled with hatred and he clicked his teeth bitterly.

"Hard nights?" I asked Billy, knowing that if he didn't tell me Edward would. Billy sighed angrily but nodded.

"Yes. Rachel has night horrors that are pretty extreme. This one had to be the worst. It woke up all the wolves and half the forest at about two." I gasped. Night horrors? "She woke up screaming at the top of her lungs on the sofa. By the time I was able to get out here-" he motioned to his wheelchair. "-Rachel was curled up in the corner over there, hands over her ears, rocking back and forth, with Jacob trying to calm her down." I looked towards the accused corner. The corner desk, that had been practically invisible in the tiny space, had been shoved out of the way and had skidded across the floor.

"Where is she now?" I asked, hoping that my dream hadn't been a premonition of something bad happening. Billy nodded towards the closed door of Jacob's room.

"The night horrors seem to be less vivid when she sleeps around other werewolves. Apparently in her last pack they all slept together, and they found comfort in that. Without it-" Billy shrugged.

"-it's like she's reliving something." Edward finished for him, his tone gloomy as he rubbed my shoulder comfortingly. Billy nodded.

"Jacob finally got her to calm down and took her in there before she practically passed out in his arms. This is the first time I've seen one, but apparently Jacob saw this back in Canada too."

I was overcome with pity for Rachel. She was always wearing a happy or shy face around those she cared about. She never let it through that she was suffering, keeping it all to herself and not bothering anyone with her hurts. With her memories that she suppressed until they showed up in her dreams.

"The rest of the pack came down to check on her, but by that point she was already out again. Jacob's going to keep a closer eye on her from now on, but what can we do really?" Billy sounded like it was hopeless.

"Can't she just be with Jake? Won't that stop the nightmares?" I bit my tongue when I asked that, but I held back the pain my heart was feeling from my face.

"A werewolf's companionship only numbs or suppresses the nightmares. Nothing can really stop them. She has good nights, where there's nothing there in her dreams, and then she has nights like tonight. It's going to take a really long time before she can forget, or at least suppress the things that cause the terrors."

I felt sick to my stomach. The room was swaying and my eyes were swimming in tears that would burst through at any second. I felt Edward's hands graze gently against my cheek, trying to soothe the pain he must have seen in my expression. But it felt distant. Like I was out of my body. I turned my eyes to behind me. I rose and pulled gently against Edward's grasp and ignoring his or Billy's calls to me as I walked to Jacob's door. I twisted the jiggling doorknob and swung open the door.

Jacob and Rachel were scrunched on top of Jacob's already too small bed, Jacob sitting up to give Rachel more room and his hand absently running through her hair. His eyes were closed, but I couldn't tell if he was really asleep, based on the hard expression plastered to his face. It was a mask of pain and frustration that came from helplessness. His hand continued to sift through the strands of Rachel's hair, whether or not Jacob was aware of it.

Rachel was asleep, once again in a pair of too large sweatpants and a t-shirt that practically swallowed her up in it's sleeves alone. Her legs were crunched into themselves just to fit on the bed and her head was laying on Jacob's chest.

What crushed me was her face. She was breathing hard, her brow pulled down and her eyes wincing as she slept. It was so obvious that she was trying to break free from another nightmare. It was crippling her and her whole visage was distorted with fear from whatever she was running from. She flinched again, pulling her closer to Jacob. Her hand twisted in his shirt and shook. I felt bile rise in my throat as I stared at the conflict going on inside her mind and on her face. _This_ was better than what they had seen earlier that evening?

And as though it had never happened, Rachel's face relaxed and her body went limp next to Jacob's form. Every muscle relaxed and her breathing calmed as the nightmare faded into nothing.

"Hello, Bella." Jacob whispered from his spot. His eyes slowly opened and raised to meet mine. His gaze was hurting, his features too contorted by worry to allow the Jacob I knew to welcome me. He brushed a strand of hair from Rachel's face and sighed exasperatedly.

"Oh, Jake." I uttered softly, not wanting to wake up Rachel but also wanting to comfort my friend. I took a step towards him, wanting to hold him and wipe that ugly mask of agony from his eyes. With his free hand Jacob motioned for me to stop. His eyes were urgent in their message as Rachel shifted from the sound that echoed from my shoes on the noisy wooden floor.

"Bella," Edward whispered, suddenly next to me and becoming the only thing keeping me on my feet. He ushered me out of the room and closed the door without making half the sound I had with one simple step. I gazed up at him, well aware that my tears were free now.

"Bella-" Edward's voice seemed to be crying along with me and his face showed that he was hurting. Rachel's defenses had to be down when she slept. Edward had said that he could glimpses of her mind when she let him. Had he been able to see what she had just seen? Through her nightmare?

"-Jake will come out in a minute. He's just making sure Rachel will be alright. He doesn't want her to wake up because she won't go back to sleep if she can help it or if she knows _we're_ here. So please, wait a minute."

I did wait. We all waited in silence, waiting for the doorknob to jiggle open and for Jacob to walk through. Light was starting to pass through the clouds, sending a gray glow through the window. Birds were starting to wake up and sing outside tunes that seemed too cheerful to me. They didn't fit.

Movement was the only that alerted me that Jacob was entering the room. He silently closed the door behind him, using his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. He sighed before making his way over to an open seat.

"How is she, Jake?" Billy asked, his focus no longer on Edward but strictly on the girl resting in the other room.

"She'll be just fine when she wakes up. Probably will act like she doesn't remember any of it." Jacob answered sadly as he leaned back in the chair. He stared up at the ceiling for a long moment His eyes unreadable as they focused strictly above him.

His expression shifted when he finally returned to us. His eyes were tired and he mustered a weary smile. He had dark shadows under his eyes that shouldn't be there, and his disarrayed appearance didn't help him look as contented as his smile suggested.

"When I asked you if you were coming back last night, I didn't mean at the crack of dawn." I lowered my face, ashamed again that I had rushed to come out so early.

"Sorry." I murmured. Jacob looked up at me and smiled.

"Don't worry about it. Rachel will be up in a little bit anyways. She just can't seem to sleep in. Stupid old pack habits." he laughed to himself.

Quiet followed for a few minutes. Edward rose to the window and seemed deep in thought. Billy was falling back to sleep where he sat, his old face looking ten years older than what I'm used to. Jacob just seemed to brood on something that was changing every feature on his face in concentration, his eyes focused on the floor. The quiet was driving me crazy.

"So," I started. Every pair of eyes jumped to me. "-what's on the agenda today?" I was honestly curious. I didn't know if after the events of last night if Jacob and the pack didn't want us around. Maybe they wanted to take the day to nap or something along those lines.

Jacob's scratched his chin absent-mindedly. The corner of his mouth lifted in absorption at what I thought to be a very easy question.

"Not really sure." he mumbled. "I know Emily had plans in forcing Rachel to accompany her in clothes shopping later on this morning. Something about her not wanting Rachel to spend the rest of her life in guy's clothes. Quil and Embry were going to go with Sam to patrol the northern border. Paul just wanted to catch some z's after being abruptly woken up last night." His hand moved to scratching his head. "I'm free though. If you don't mind just hanging out and stuff. You want to head down by the water?"

Quite honestly, that's what I would be looking forward to. Spending quality time with my best friend. I wanted to try to relive the good old days when we would sit in his garage, drink hot root beers, and just laugh our heads off. It felt like it had happened so long ago, rather than just half a year prior.

Before I could answer with an enthusiastic 'yes', my eyes jumped over to Edward. My little daydream of reminiscing on sweet past memories was swiftly dissolved. How would Edward take just spending a day with Jacob?

As though hearing my conflict, Edward's warm gaze floated over to me. His warm smile and brightened the room, but the darkness in his eyes dimmed it to where I could stand the brilliance.

"Go ahead, Bella. I want to wait for Rachel to wake up. You can handle taking care of Bella, can't you Jacob?" Edward asked, no malice or challenge in his voice. He seemed distracted, his mind a million miles away.

I was flabbergasted. Edward had practically told me we would be joint at the hip whenever we went to La Push so he could keep an eye out for me. Even though Jacob had proven to be no threat, he hadn't purposefully given me any time alone with him since he was allowed on to the reservation. Now, he was asking Jacob to watch me while he waited for Rachel?

I sensed the tension as soon as it spread through Jacob. His face, which had only been concerned with finding something for me to do, tightened. His eyes were hidden beneath his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth pulled down in a grimace and his jaw was snapped shut. His eyes searched Edward for an ulterior motive with their focal point on Edward's face. Edward's retorting laugh was as tight as Jacob's expression.

"Or are you incompetent to watch her for a few minutes?" he challenged. Jacob rose from his spot took my hand and lead me to the door without taking his gaze from Edward's. Edward smiled at me as I passed him, his eyes sad but the smile still placed firmly on his perfect lips. The door closed behind me and Jacob carried me to the coast.

We walked along the water, not saying anything. It didn't take a genius that Jacob was worried about leaving Rachel alone with Edward. When he thought I wasn't looking his eyes would look towards the trees, hoping that a certain blue eyed girl would come bounding through the foliage.

Me being alone with him also was uncomfortable because of the thoughts that had played with my mind the previous night. The ones that suggested that I still had feelings for him. I was constantly aware of the inches between our arms as we walked, feeling burned when he would bump into me or visa versa.

"No no no no no no NO!" I screamed at myself internally. Edward was my husband and the love of my life. I couldn't live without him and didn't want to ever try to. Jacob was my best friend in the entire world and his presence helped me smile when I was down. Those were the facts. That's how it was.

"Could you please say something?" I was pulled back to the scene. Jacob was skipping rocks into the raging waves, his mind obviously consumed with something other than how far he could skip the smooth stones gather in his huge hands.

"Sorry, what?" I asked, worrying that I had missed something while I was having my mental debate.

"I just don't like the silence. It gives my mind too much free time to worry about stuff. So, could you please just say something?" he asked, throwing another rock.

I thought about it for a second. "Well, did I mention that I met the Turnhearts two days ago?" Jacob paused mid-throw and looked at me with surprised eyes.

"All of them?" I was happy to pull him out of his brooding and continued.

"Yes. Jack and Mary came by with Eliza and I got to hear about how Eliza and Mary were changed. But Jack didn't want me to know about his history. He wants to tell me himself. He seems like a really interesting guy." Surprisingly, Jacob didn't scoff at that. He nodded in agreement before making a rock jump twelve times in the choppy water.

"Yea, Jack is something else. His art is amazing. Pretty quiet though. He never really accepted me though." Jacob stated, crinkling his nose.

"Really? How come?" I asked, glad to get him talking to me at least.

"For a blood sucker, he's extremely loyal. Especially towards Rachel. He's kind of taken on the role of Rachel's father. He gave me the third degree when we discussed her coming to La Push just like a dad." No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't picture Jack acting the way Charlie had when I had started dating Edward. Asking Jacob questions about himself, where he was taking Rachel, when they'd be back. The idea almost seemed comical in my mind's eye but I was able to suppress my laughter.

"Yeah. It was like I was taking her away from his family. And Mary-" Jacob winced at a memory. "-she liked practicing that mind thing on me. She can be a real devil when she marks you as a threat to her happy little family. If Eliza wasn't there to referee, between the two of them I may have not been able to come back here of my own free will."

The thought of little Mary actually pulling practical jokes on Jacob was just as impossible to envision as the idea of Jack acting like Charlie in his interrogation! Granted, I had only spoken with them for a day and Jacob had months for them to warm up to him. Well, warm up in a sense where they could freely exploit his emotions towards Rachel without meaning any harm.

"That's so-" I thought of the right word that came to mind when thinking of the two distant vampires acting like an overly protective father and a clingy little sister.

"-Weird?" came a voice from the trees. Jacob and I both turned around to see Rachel standing just beyond the tree line, Edward at her side with a contemplative look on his face.

Rachel was still in her pajamas, her feet bare. Her face seemed so different from the carefree expression I had seen her wear when she and Jacob had been goofing around in Port Angeles. Her eyes were strained with fatigue, dark unfamiliar circles shadowing her sunken eyes. They looked dead compared to the bubbly energy I had grown accustomed to seeing. She had a blank look to her, like she had jumped out of bed a little too fast and was disoriented. As though as soon as she had realized Jacob was gone she had rushed out to see him.

When I looked towards Jacob to see how he was reacting to this worn out version of Rachel he wasn't there. I looked back towards Rachel in time to see him bounding towards her. Edward moved away from Rachel and glided over to me.

"Rachel." Jacob sighed as he reached her. They didn't embrace. They didn't kiss. They just stared at each other, but they might as well have been tearing each other's clothes off or playing tonsil hockey based on the emotion that transpired between their gaze. Jacob's eyes were reading insurmountable worry into Rachel's thoughtful stare. I fascinated myself with a blue shell that was at my feet. I kicked it to the water's edge, where it was swept away by a wave and replaced with a swirled peach and white shell.

Edward wrapped a comforting arm around me and turned to face the water. When I looked up at his face, it hadn't recovered from the reflective edge it had taken back at Jacob's house. It was ominous as he watched the water rise and fall in the never ending rhythm. He wasn't about to tell me why he had wanted to wait for Rachel alone. What he had wanted to discuss with her. But based on Rachel's reaction and Edward's uncomforted expression, it had to be something big. He stood next to me, silent as a statue but comforting me with his presence.

"Hey, Bella." Jacob had silently come up beside me and I hadn't even noticed. Rachel was standing next to the water, letting her toes caress the waves as they swept across the ground. The wind was blowing her hair gracefully behind her, bringing into view the beautiful angles of her face and making her look like a picture seen in a fairy tale. If not for the lost look in her eyes, it would have been truly breathtaking.

"Do you want to go for a ride on the bikes? Rachel could ride with me, Edward with you, and we could just ride until Rachel has to go meet up with Emily. It'll be like old times!" he said with a bright smile. My favorite smile almost me remember again those old times. Even with the idea fresh in my mind I hesitated and looked up at Edward. His eyes were searching my expression for something. I saw pain linger in his eyes before he smiled.

"You go on ahead without me. I know how bike riding is your thing with Jacob." he murmured sadly before releasing his grip on me. I smiled at him, thanking him with my eyes for understanding.

"I need to go make a call to Carlisle anyways. Hey, Jake-" his stare was steely, but his smile was mischievous. "-watch out for her if you're going to do anything reckless. And make sure she wears a helmet will ya." Jacob snorted something but nodded his agreement. Edward kissed me on the cheek and smiled as warm as his distracted face could allow before he ran into the trees.

My eyes turned slowly over to Rachel. She was looking at Jacob till her eyes flashed towards mine. I had to look away. I would decline. I had to. I realized that Jacob couldn't love me the way he had before, now that he had Rachel. And I did have that small portion of myself that still believed that I was in love with him, those weren't what really bothered me. It was the fact, like Edward had said, that biking was something that Jacob and I had shared. Us alone. It had been our secret to share from Charlie. Our time that we spent learning how to ride them and put them together. With that idea, Rachel suddenly felt like a trespasser on something sacred. I held no ill feelings towards her, I just wished I could have my friend Jacob to myself at least once before we were both pulled away into our separate and personal worlds.

Not to mention the fact that I wanted to discuss with him what I had been feeling recently. Mostly just to get his input. I wanted to know if his feelings had just vanished the moment he had met Rachel. If that were the case, I knew it would be easier to let him go, but I really couldn't ask him that with Rachel sitting behind him.

"Actually-" My eyes went to Rachel as she spoke. She was still staring at me. Her face was void of emotion, something that made her eyes seem more threatening as they watched me.

"-why don't you two go without me? I would really like to stay by the water right now. If that's okay with you." I felt my eyes widen, shocked. Rachel hadn't left Jacob's side once since she had arrived in Washington. Everything we had done, she had joined in. My eyes wandered over to Jacob. He looked as though she had slapped him. I couldn't tell if it was hurt or just surprise that colored his face. He had apparently not been expecting that either.

"I'll be fine. I need to be here to meet Emily anyways." Rachel assured, adding a delicate smile to the already well-placed mask on her expression. "Besides, Bella came to see you Jacob. I've been getting in the way of your bonding since I arrived. You both may be too busy to see each other later. Who knows when you will be able to meet up after she is changed. Go and enjoy yourselves." With that said, Rachel sat down by the water, her eyes looking over the dark glassy surface. Her smile was gone, as was her consciousness that Jacob and I were still there.

Jacob's eyes jumped from me back to Rachel. He smiled softly when Rachel didn't respond, his eyes settling on mine.

"You heard her, Bella. Let's go riding." he said enthusiastically. I nodded slowly and turned to go back to the house, thinking Jacob was right behind me. When I glanced back, I caught him pulling Rachel to her feet and embrace her fiercely in his iron grip. He looked worried and was talking quickly, but I was too far away to understand what he said. He spoke urgently, his eyes looking for some kind of understanding in Rachel's unresponsive eyes. I noticed when his eyes flashed up to me before they returned down to Rachel. She was completely composed, her face not betraying any emotion until she smiled and replied. I watched Jacob smile back lovingly, place his forehead to hers and whisper something into her eyes with his own. His iron hands wrapped around her face and his lips lightly kissed each of her eyelids before he reached her lips, placing on them a delicate good-bye peck.

Jacob ran towards me, his focus strictly on each step he took to get to me. I watched him turn to wave good-bye to Rachel, but she had already turned back to face the water.

Jacob, being Jacob, carried me back to his garage (when my pace pushed his patience too far) where we got the bikes. Jacob honored his promise to Edward and threw a dust covered helmet from some hidden portion of the workshop at me. It was obvious to me that Jacob had probably never used it…..and probably never would.

He looked over my bike, checking all the gears to make sure everything worked after being neglected for so long. A few squirts of oil here, a tightening of a loose bolt there, and we were on our way with the wind blowing through our hair.

I was constantly tempting fate to throw something in the path of my bike by glancing back at Jacob's face. He was wearing a perfect smile, life twinkling in his eyes as he drove his bike expertly around puddles and potholes, all the while making sure my bike was perfectly steady and I wouldn't fall over.

We road a ways before pulling to the side to look at the outstretch of beach in front of us.

"Man, I miss this." Jacob sighed.

"What?" I asked as I fumbled my way out of the helmet.

"Just us hanging out. Having fun, the way it was before all of this changing." He sighed again, taking a deep gulp of the fresh air that battered his hair.

I wrapped an arm around him and rested my head on his arm. He was so tall now I couldn't even reach his shoulder. Would he ever stop growing?! He seemed to find that amusing. He chuckled before wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah, me too. It's been a long time since we just relaxed, hasn't it?" I smiled

"Yup." We watched as the clouds spiraled and spun in a threatening pattern that promised a storm was on it's way.

The heat coming off of Jacob's skin was stifling. It didn't help that the summer warmth was almost suffocating on it's own. Having a living furnace next to you, well, it was almost unbearable. But I couldn't pull away.

I was suddenly very aware of how we were alone for the first time since we had separated months before. Either Rachel or Edward were with us or within listening distance. My heart, without my permission or with any consideration for the fact that I was a married woman, beat so uncontrollably that I was certain Jacob heard it. If he did, he kept it to himself as he stared at the impending storm forming overhead.

I was well aware that this could be my only chance to ask Jacob what I wanted to ask him without Edward or Rachel overhearing it and taking it to a level above what my feelings were actually telling me. I mean, I was just curious about what Jacob felt. I just wanted his input.

''Plus,-'' I thought to myself. "-when you find out you love someone, you have some emotion left over, right? They don't just vanish. It's just the after effects, and when I hear Jacob say he has no romantic feelings towards me,-" I gulped at the pain that came from that thought. "-everything will go back to normal. Right?" I convinced myself that had to be it.

Now came the hard part. Asking the question in a way that it won't hurt Jacob or make things awkward in this brief moment of alone time we had.

"Um…Jake?" I started, my voice weaker than what I had intended.

"Yeah?" he asked lightly.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Jacob turned his powerful eyes to mine, scrunching his nose in confusion.

I chickened out of the idea that I would ask him directly. Time to work my way to it.

"Wh-what was it like when you imprinted Rachel?" I asked, hoping my face didn't give me away.

Jacob scrutinized my face, his expression hardening at first but then softening with a playful smile.

"That's not what you wanted to ask." he said knowingly. Curses! He knew me too well. I lowered my face in shame and mortification.

"Bella-" I looked up through my lashes at him. His face was comforting and warm. Like my old Jacob was.

"-you know you can ask me anything, right?"

"Anything that doesn't fall under something Sam labels as classified." I mumbled under my breath. He caught it.

"Well, yeah, there's that. But anything else, I have no problem with. So, spill it. What's on your mind?" I could feel my face changing colors from embarrassment. I took a deep breath to try to control my shaking, praying in my head that I wouldn't hurt him.

"Did all your feelings for me, just, die when you imprinted?" I watched his face, expecting the pain or maybe anger.

They didn't come. Jacob's face was blank, but thoughtful as he thought of an appropriate answer. His eyes went back to the clouds for a second before a smile broke on his face.

"I'll answer your question if you answer mine." he murmured. I nodded earnestly, wondering what he could possibly ask. He looked at me, his eyes distant and defensive.

"Did all your feelings for me disappear when you realized you were in love with Edward?"

I couldn't respond. I had been pondering that myself whenever a monster would rise up inside me when I saw Jacob and Rachel together. I had been battling that emotion, knowing that it would hurt Edward if he found out and kill Rachel if she heard it. I tried to deny it, telling myself my feelings were strictly because I was defensive of Jacob marrying so young or protective of my friend.

But reality was I was still in love with him. Well, a portion of me was. The portion of me that had clung to him when Edward had left me for my sake. The part of me that still held tightly to the image of what my life with Jacob would have been if I had chosen my humanity over immortality.

When I didn't answer right away Jacob laughed and examined my face further. "No, my feelings are still there, but being with you isn't an option anymore." he muttered bitterly. I could feel the hurt bubbling inside my chest. It clawed at the edges of a scar that couldn't heal, no matter how many years or decades passed away.

"You see, it's not up to me anymore to decide. Just like you couldn't choose me after you met Edward." I understood what he meant. I did love Jacob but I had been connected to Edward in a way that Jacob could never compare to. In Jacob's own words, if I had chosen Jacob it would have been as easy as breathing, but being without Edward would have been like not breathing at all. He had become my essence for living. My world. But that didn't mean that it hurt any less seeing Jacob. This was how he was feeling too. He was torn between his soul mate, me, and the person that God had made to be his other half.

I pushed past the pain and smiled at Jacob, trying to loosen the tension that had built over us. I could only hope he didn't see past the mask I had learned from the werewolves and see the agony I was feeling beneath.

"Just as long as you love me best!" I mocked him. Those had been the same words he told me, what felt like, an eternity ago. Jacob chuckled as a light drizzle of rain broke through the barrier of clouds.

"Only if you love _me _the best." he stated. I rolled my eyes and looked back at the view. The waves were getting choppy, the water dark and dangerous though the sprinkle of water could barely be considered rain. It was more like a mist. A dreary, wet mist.

"I know now what it was like for you while you were torn between me and Edward." Jacob whispered it so faintly, I looked up to his face to see if he had said it at all. He had a calm expression, but it couldn't hide the pain in his face. It was torn. Had my face looked like that back when Jacob and Edward fought for me?

"Soul mate vs. other half, right? It sucks." he groaned as he pulled his arm away from me and stretched it over his head. I laughed at the analogy.

"Yeah, it's hard, but your other half wins in the end." I stated confidently as I walked towards the threatening waves.

"I'm not so sure."

I stopped mid-stride. I forced myself to look back over my shoulder at Jacob. His eyes were dark as they kept staring at me, anguished as though he had caused himself physical pain by uttering those words. His wrapped his arms around himself and clenched his eyes shut in an effort to get away from my stare.

"What do you mean?" I stuttered weakly as I took a step towards him. "She's your imprint, Jake. Your missing puzzle piece, your true love, your-"

"-I know all that." Jacob snapped, his pain hitting me in waves as he tried to pull himself deeper within himself.

"Then, why? Why would you say something like that?" my voice was as desperate as his had been. What was really going on with Jacob that he would almost give up on his imprint?

"I still think about you, Bella, and I know it hurts Rachel… a lot. She hides it so well, behind that smile of hers, but I can tell. I can sense that it breaks her heart every time she sees you in my mind when we run. See that it kills her to even let you and I have this time together alone, knowing that I still have feelings like this for you. It makes me feel so guilty. Like I'm stringing her along and causing her to go through all this crap from the pack for nothing!" I knew that feeling. It was as though Jacob was looking into my memory and explaining everything I had felt over the past few months.

"She's given up _everything _for me, Bella. Her home, her rank, her lifestyle. She's given it all up for what; a pack of wolves her family would call pups who claim rank over her and constantly disrespect her? All for my sake, to keep me away from her old world. And yet-" Jacob reached out and took my face in his hands.

"-I still can't get over you."

"Have you talked to Sam about this?" I asked, wishing that the way he was staring at me wasn't making my heart flutter and yet embracing the feeling. He let go of my face and looked back over the horizon.

"Yeah, he says it's normal and not to worry. My emotions will sort themselves out before long."

"Is this what he went through with Leah?" Jacob nodded.

"But you would think, after everything she went through with her family, then -" something clicked in my brain. The scars that had marked her for years. The pained expressions whenever her family was brought up. The distance Rachel put between her and others.

"Jacob, what really drove Rachel to live with the Turnhearts. It wasn't over a disagreement with her pack, was it?" I asked before he could continue. Jacob's eyes widened, as though he had unintentionally told me a very important secret. He stammered, surprised that I had caught it, and was forced to look away. He bit his lip in concentration to regain control of his now frantic emotions.

I took a step closer to him, not fearing at all that he would lose complete control and hurt me. I touched his arm, forcing him to look at me. He did, but only after he had control over his expression. It was unreadable past the hurt.

"What did her pack do to her?" my voice was almost begging. Jacob heard, and his well controlled mask vanished and was replaced by a new struggle. Whether or not to tell me.

His posture slackened and he turned away from me, pulling out of my grip. His hunched shoulders and given up stance told me he would tell me anything now, but I wanted more than anything to take that ache out of his heart that was fighting him so hard.

"You're right…and wrong." Jacob started softly. He still had his back to me, forcing me to really listen above the roar of the water.

"You're right in that it wasn't just one argument that sent her running away, but it was an argument that sent Rachel over the edge and drove her to leave the only life she had ever known as an exile."

"What happened?" I whispered when he didn't continue right away. His body was shaking now, either out of feeling Rachel's pain or his own at what he was doing I couldn't tell.

"They-" the earth shook from a howl that filled the air around us. Pain shook it's tone and the air was thick with the wild cry. It rang through the air for what seemed an unnatural length of time but then died into the sound of the waves before another howl took it's place.

"What's going on?" I gasped as I looked towards Jacob. What I saw frightened me. His face was twisted into a terrified grimace. His eyes were wild and jumping back and forth in their sockets. I could hear the growl barreling through his chest and shivered when he pulled his lips back in a snarl.

"Jake, what's wrong?" He didn't answer right away, but kept listening to the stream of howls that bounced off the cliffs. He suddenly picked up both our bikes and hid them in some bushes. He ran towards me so fast I almost didn't see him and picked me up. He was running before I could comprehend it. This wasn't like the runs he had taken me on. His strides were desperate, forceful. I had never seen him run this fast. Images blurred till I couldn't tell when the open sky ended and the trees started until the colors registered in my mind several second later. He was urgently trying to get somewhere as the screams of wolves swirled in my head.

"Jacob, What's going-"

"Sorry Bells. I'll pick up the bikes later." Jacob yelled over the wind current that was making my ears ring. Was Jacob really holding me? He sounded so far away.

"Right now, I've got to get back to the pack." Jacob snarled in urgency.

"Why? What's wrong?" His face hardened.

"That was Sam. He told me to get back right away. It's Leah again. I'm going to kill that bi-"

"Jake, what _happened_?" I was yelling, trying to get him to realize I had no idea what was going on and his tone was making me even more nervous.

"Leah followed Emily to the beach and tried to attack her when she met up with Rachel."

"What?!" I gaped. I couldn't breathe, and not just because the air was moving too quickly for me to get in a good breath. Leah had actually attacked Emily?

"But Rachel took the blow, just like Leah had anticipated! She dragged Rachel into the forest and hurt her pretty bad! I didn't get many details, just that I have to hurry!"

I was shaking as badly as Jacob was and I was losing a battle with my tear ducts. I bit my lip and looked forward, remembering that Sam had commanded Rachel not to change into her wolf form if Leah did something like this. I knew Rachel would follow that order, even if it killed her. I only hoped that my little meeting with Jacob hadn't forced her to prove it.

Nickolette: Wow……yup. Happy late 4th of July you guys. Sorry that it's taken me so long to update. I was out of town enjoying the wonders that is Grandma's house. Teehee. Well, the feedback I got on the last chapter was great and really helped me push through with this chapter. Those of you who send me reviews, you honestly are my fuel and inspiration to keep going with this story as opposed of crawling into a corner and giving up on it entirely. So thank you so much bows gratefully several times to those who gives hope with comments and reviews And just a heads up, because I was thoroughly ticked with Bella and how she strung Jacob and Edward along in Eclipse my opinion things are going to get a lot harder for our crying narrator before they get better. But I do plan on having a happy ending. But some of you may be mad at me what I make happen before the happiness can ensue. PLEASE FORGIVE ME!falls on her knees and hides her face Again, thank you for your input. You all totally rock my socks!! Teehee.


	15. Morphine

Even though the speed Jacob was going was making my eyes tear, I wanted him to go faster. I wanted him to fly. I wanted him to get to Rachel and save her. I wanted more than anything to see Rachel alright.

I was aching inside as guilt burned its way through every inch of my numb body. My desire to spend time with Jacob was what had caused this. If Jacob had been within a reasonable distance of the house, Leah wouldn't have dared to try anything. But my hope to talk to him openly about our relationships had left her completely vulnerable. My best friend's soul mate! What was I? It couldn't be human. No human in history could have caused this much pain to the people she supposedly loved. Would I ever stop bringing hurt to others or would it intensify when my blood ran cold?

"Don't you dare go blaming yourself for this, Bella." Jacob snarled as he jumped over a log. His face was burning with focus on his task, mixed with raw fury that I had only seen Edward wear when he had faced against Victoria. "If anything, it's my fault for taking us so far on the bikes." My guilt didn't subside and I knew it wouldn't until I saw Rachel was safe.

I instantly felt when Jacob started to slow down and looked in front of us. We were in front of Jacob's house, Quil pacing back and forth nervously beside the garage. When Jacob pulled out from the trees, Quil's focus jumped to us frantically before he ran to us.

"What took you so long?" Quil snarled. His form was quivering desperately. Jacob growled.

"Cut me some slack. As if I-" the anger in Jacob's voice subsided as he looked closer at Quil. It made me look harder. I gasped.

Quil's bare chest was coated in dry blood. Quil looked down at himself, as though noticing it for the first time.

"It's nothing. I tried to get Leah to cool it and she bit me. Nothing a few minutes didn't heal, but at least it gave Rachel a little more time. Man, she's in pretty bad shape." Quil whispered the last part more to himself than to us, but I instantly knew Jacob had heard him. He let me down, his eyes wild with horror.

Quil must have sensed the danger because his hands shot up as though in surrender and took a step away from Jacob.

"She'll _heal_ Jacob…but,"

"But what?!" Jacob yelled, his voice as frantic as his face. Quil couldn't keep help looking down, his face pained.

"No one can walk away from something like that, unscathed." he muttered.

Jacob didn't wait for Quil to explain what he meant. He ran past me, jumping into the woods and disappearing into the green. It wasn't long before I heard a loud snap and a howl.

"Come on, Bella." Quil commanded, suddenly next to me. "Let's go too. Jake may need you there to help him calm down! Don't worry, I'll protect you." he stated confidently as he picked me up and ran after his wolf brother. His grip was more careful than Jacob's had been when he carried me. Still in the testing stage to keep from breaking someone as fragile as me. His pace was more controlled, less frantic and more tolerable.

"Is Rachel okay?" I asked Quil as we ran. I could hear the hysteria building in my hoarse voice, knew I was on the brink of losing it. Quil nodded slowly but a worried expression was across his face.

"Yeah, she'll heal just fine. May be in bed for a day or two, but she'll be good as new. Thanks to that blood sucker of yours." I gaped at him. Edward? I had almost forgotten about him. I say almost because there is always at least one portion of my brain on the Edward station of my personal radio.

"Edward?" I shook. Quil saw my nervousness, or sensed it.

"Chill, Bella. He's fine. He's the one who pulled Leah off of Rachel. He kept her at bay while Rachel climbed up a tree. That's when Sam finally commanded Leah to stop. Then you guys got here."

There was something in Quil's expression that didn't read clear. It seemed truly concerned about something. An inner struggle that was written on his face. I had never seen him looked so…lonely.

"If you really think Rachel is going to heal, why do you look like you just lost your best friend?" I asked and caught Quil's flinching at my word choice. He looked at me only for a second, but I definitely saw the ache there.

"I'm just-" he bit his lip.

"Go on." I urged.

"I'm just worried that we're going to lose Rachel and Jake again." His words stunned me and he must have seen it on my face because he didn't stop there.

"This whole Leah thing, I'm afraid it will make Rachel not want to stay here. If she leaves, I know Jake will leave again with no questions asked." he sighed.

"And Rachel has already become part of us. Even though she's only been here for a few days, she's like family, you know?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, even though I had a pretty good idea. I had watched how Rachel interacted with the other wolves. They were so natural together. They really acted like they had known each other for years, rather than just a few days.

Quil thought about his wording as he ran. I guess this was going to require a werewolf translation if he had to think _that _hard. His brow was furrowed and his mouth was pulled to one side of his face.

"You know we can hear each other's minds when we're wolves, right?" I nodded. "Well, it's a little harder for Rachel. Her mind tends to blanket stuff. Keep stuff to herself. She has to concentrate hard to show even the surface of her thoughts.

"Even so, Rachel openly transformed for us to see her mind. She had to focus really _really _hard to show us everything we got to see. I saw her entire childhood, her first time transforming, her first hunt. I felt every emotion she experienced while she fought for her title, played with friends, watch out for her brothers. I know her just as well as if I had grown up with her my whole life. Does that make sense?" I could only nod. So that's how it worked. Made enough sense.

Quil squinted against the path. I knew Quil was going slower than he usually would for my sake, but come on! How deep in the forest were they? I couldn't even tell what direction we had come from anymore.

"I hope Jake gets a good chunk out of Leah for this. She's acting like a jealous older sibling and we're all sick of it." he mumbled.

"Well, technically, she is older." I shrugged. I didn't want to hate Leah, but I couldn't really condone her behavior as something that deserved being completely forgotten.

"Only human wise." Quil retorted. "Rachel's been a wolf longer, even though she's even younger than _I _am! She's had to deal with this for almost five years. She knows so much but Leah just sees her as a threat. Sam isn't any help because he still feels that he's responsible for Leah becoming so bitter. Frankly, I just think Leah needs to suck it up and get on with life." he added bitterly.

A yelp followed by some angry growls caught my ear. A wolf suddenly cried out and kept crying a terrible yelping noise that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. A savage growl ripped through the pain-filled howls, sending through me a sudden wave of terror. My instincts were telling me to run in the opposite directions of the vicious battle ensuing just beyond the green around me, but I wasn't able to commute the threat I felt to the boy carrying me. I looked up at him in time to see a hideous and angry smile spread across his normally gentle face.

"Serves her right." he grumbled. Another snarl and more cries, louder than ever signaled that we were getting close. Was Jacob doing that to Leah? We broke through a final layer of green like a veil had been removed from our eyes, though the green was just as intense here as it had been moments before.

I saw Edward first. He was standing next to, a scared stiff wolf I knew to be, Sam and a stunned Emily- who looked like she wasn't even aware that I had arrived with Quil- with terror in his eyes. He was staring at something, his eyes wide with surprise and alarm like I had never seen before. I followed his gaze to the source of the screaming.

The wolf I knew to be Jacob was shaking the crying wolf by the back of the neck, dragging her around like a rag doll. He Leah into a tree and slammed his body into hers. She yelped and tried to crawl away, her tail between her legs in surrender. Jacob caught up to her and snapped down on one of her front legs before throwing her back to the ground. Leah screeched in agony and Jacob was on top of her, snapping his jaws inches away from the soft flesh of her stomach.

A new growl, a firm and commanding sound from behind tore my eyes away from the horror in front of me. The wolf I recognized to be Sam growled again. Jacob instantly looked up at him and then back down. A deep and powerful growl emitted from his chest before he stepped over her.

Jacob disappeared into the bushes for a few agonizingly long moments. When he reemerged, he was in his human skin wearing a pair of tattered pants. He didn't even notice me. He was looking up into a tree with his back to me. I squirmed In Quil's grasp until he released me from his suddenly to tense grip and I ran to Edward. Edward took me into his arms, but followed Jacob's example and looked up into the tree. I could feel the concern that originated from his eyes as he stared up at something I didn't understand.

"Hey, Rachel. Leah's taken care of. You can come down now." Jacob yelled up. I gasped and followed Edward's gaze. I couldn't see her in the needles of the tree. How high up was she?

"Not to rain on your parade, but Sam already made her stop." her voice rang childishly from even higher than where I was looking.

"I'm well aware of that." Jacob replied. "But I thought I would make it perfectly clear how I felt about this." Jacob's voice was so bitter and cold, it was like I didn't even know him. He was so overcome with anger. He was warped by Leah's actions and I could only hope that he would be able to go back. But his voice, his face. Both were so twisted in fury I couldn't tell if he could.

"Rachel, will you please come down now?" There was a dramatic pause.

"I can't." Rachel muttered.

"Why not?" Another pause. This one filled Jacob's expression with panic.

"Rachel, are you too hurt to get down?! Fall, I'll catch you okay?" Jacob called, desperation overtaking the angry edge that had worried me.

"I would…if I could." "What's wrong?" This pause was significantly shorter than the last, but it was still too long for any of us.

"I'm _stuck_, okay." Rachel mumbled indignantly, her embarrassment obvious from her tone. A very confused Jacob suddenly smiled in relief and amusement before he started laughing. I found myself sighing with relief myself, but unfortunately not for Rachel. It was for the sudden reappearance of the Jacob I had always known. I felt Edward's posture flinch, but could see nothing betrayed in his face but worry still aimed up at the pine tree.

"You're stuck? Seriously? Can't you get _unstuck_?" Jacob asked with another laugh. I heard a irritated grumble ripple through the needles.

"Let's see you get unstuck with a leg _and_ an arm broken." Rachel called back defensively. Jacob's laughter vanished instantly, quickly bringing back the worried out of his mind Jacob I had seen too much that day.

"How'd you get up there?" he asked, bewildered.

"Sheer luck, okay? Now this is really embarrassing with the whole pack _and_ a Cullen down there." I looked around me. Sure enough, at least ten pairs of wolf eyes were looking either in Rachel's direction or at Edward and me. I heard some growls from those who were staring their loathing at me, but I heard whimpers coming from those looking skyward.

"So, can you help me down already?" Rachel's voice pleaded. Jacob looked like it was taking everything he had not to lose it. He took a deep breath, his eyes closed, hands clenched in tight fists at his sides.

"Coming. Brace yourself." Jacob muttered. "Ha ha." Rachel retorted sarcastically. Jacob crouched down to the ground, his legs becoming spring boards. The tension in his body was physically visible, his muscles building up energy as he took a deep breath. Before I was done blinking, he released their pressure and was no longer on the ground. The tree shook from the rocket of the boy that had just made his landing in it's branches. Birds howled their protest and took to the air as the tree shook dangerously from side to side, but soon returned to it's motionless state. The birds didn't return as quickly.

Some shuffling and a few grunts later, a swooshing sound announced them coming back down to the ground. Jacob, his back to me, had his hand wrapped gingerly around Rachel's waist, her good arm draped across his shoulders. She was inches off the ground, Jacob completely holding her weight as he shifted her delicately in his arms, holding her like a precious and very breakable doll. Jacob turned around and I was hit with the impact of what Leah had done to her.

Blood was soaked all the way through Rachel's shirt on her side. Her left arm was hanging limply, the bones completely shattered and bleeding from the teeth that had broken it. A gash on her forehead, that seemed to already be healing, was flowing crimson down Rachel's face. Her right leg was bitten all the way to the bone, and looked broken beyond repair.

"Bella, you need to breathe." Edward urged. I hadn't even realized that I had stopped breathing until I took that first breath and the numb buzz that came from lightheaded spells almost sent me to my knees. Luckily, Edward was there to hold me up.

Rachel's eyes were downcast, filled with shame and embarrassment for something I knew she couldn't have done anything about. She managed to glance at me before turning her eyes towards Emily.

"Are you alright, Mi-" Rachel cleared her throat. "Are you alright…Emily?" she asked as though her wounds weren't even there. Her sole concern was Emily. Emily's normal control collapsed and tears pooled in her eyes as she stared at the heap of girl in Jacob's arms.

"Oh Rachel." she cried as she buried her face in her hands. Sam whimpered next to her and licked her hand in comfort. Emily wrapped her arms around Sam's neck and cried into his fur.

Rachel's eyes brightened with a weak smile, a task that left her flinching in pain.

"Don't cry, Emily. I'll be fine in a few hours. Really. I'm just sorry I didn't hear her sooner. Could have avoided this whole mess if my mind hadn't been somewhere else." she laughed, and instantly regretted it. Her good hand jumped to her side in pain, but somehow she kept a flicker of a smile on her face.

"Rachel, I am so sorry." Emily stumbled between sobs. I felt Edward's arms around me and was aware that he was pulling me closer in one of the most needed embraced I was ever to receive. My numb control crumbled and tears were spilling in sets down my face. I made no effort to wipe them away.

Rachel's eyes finally turned towards me. At first, she made no effort to smile at me. Her eyes were solemn, pained. Her features were turning sickening shades of blue and purple from forming bruises. But the smile that turned the corners of her mouth up made her look like she was still ready to take pictures for a magazine cover. Her eyebrows crunched in awkwardness. I had hundreds of things she could possibly say to me with that look. She could have blamed me for her injuries. She could have accused me of trying to steal Jacob from her. She could have asked me to leave. All of those things would have been perfectly reasonable, but what she said…

"Sorry I ruined your time with Jacob, Bella." I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I wanted Leah to take her anger out on me. I wanted anything physically painful, but those words were unbearably painful for me to hear. Here was Rachel, looking like she may never walk again and she was apologizing to _me_ for being ambushed while I was having fun with her guardian. Not to mention the fact that Jacob had admitted to me that not all his old feelings for me were gone and that they were killing Rachel. Yeah, that added more salt to an already festering wound that could probably kill me.

I looked up at Jacob's face, to see if he was reacting to her words as badly as I was. His eyes were tormented as he looked down at Rachel before they flew towards a limp Leah on the ground who was licking her wounds. The flash of anger in his now fiery eyes seemed to be shaking his form.

"Leah, you had better thank Sam for this. If I could have my way, you'd be dead right now for this. You had better learn to sleep with both eyes open!" he barked heatedly.

A snarl from Sam, a warning, turned Jacob's anger on the alpha. "You think I'm being too hard on her?" Jake asked, outraged. "Look at what she's done to Rachel! This-" Jacob directed to Rachel's injuries, disgust curling his lips to bare his teeth. "-could have been Emily. How would you have felt then?!" I could see in Sam's eyes that he was shocked. He was completely lost on what to say, or bark in this case. I couldn't help feeling bitter towards him just then. Granted, Rachel was a whole lot more durable then Emily, but no one deserved the wounds that would probably scar Rachel's already broken body. The fact that he was willing to forgive Leah for that reason, hurt me.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Jacob snapped. "I guess loyalty only belongs to those who were born into this tribe. Not to those who desperately want to join it!" Sam still couldn't respond, but kept his deep eyes on Jacob. I watched as Rachel lifted her good arm and stroke Jacob's face comfortingly. Her own expression seemed more concerned about Jacob than the wounds that coated her in her own blood.

Her touch shocked Jacob like he had received a physical blow. His eyes met hers and his face instantly calmed but didn't lose the excruciating pain from his features.

"They already had Leah under control." Rachel reasoned as she brushed a strand of Jacob's hair behind his ear. Her voice was just barely above a whisper, but so clear that I could make out each word. "The reason Sam's mad is because you attacked her when I wasn't in any immediate danger." Jacob's anger returned when his eyes jumped to Leah and vanished just as quickly when they looked back down.

"I know, but I wanted her to know what would happen the next time if she ambushes you." he said defensively. Rachel smiled at him and though her face had streams of dried on blood and was turning to sickening colors, her face was radiant.

"Bella,-" I was shocked when Jacob was suddenly talking to me.

"-Do you think you could call Dr. Cullen and see if he'd be willing to come take a look at Rachel?" he asked, his voice pleading.

"Y-yeah. I'll need to borrow a phone, but I'm sure he'll come down." I muttered. I felt detached from my body. It didn't feel real.

I caught when Rachel's face scrunched in disbelief. She looked like a child being told to take a really nasty medicine.

"That really won't be necessary." Rachel directed at me, completely ignoring the urgency in Jacob's face that she get medical treatment.

"Rachel-" Jacob murmured. Rachel looked up at him with the passion in her eyes that said that if he wanted an argument, she would give it to him.

"If you really don't want Carlisle to see you-" Edward murmured with a squeeze on my shoulder. He side-glanced at me before smiling welcomingly at Rachel and Jacob. "-I have a P.H.D. I could mend her up in no time." I couldn't help the swelling my chest from the gladness I felt for him being there. If he was there, I would have fallen apart and Jacob and Rachel could have very well gone to blows over her treatment.

Rachel glared at Edward but sighed in defeat, settling into Jacob's arms. Even so, she couldn't hide the displeasure from her face.

"I don't get why you're freaking out so much. I'll be completely healed in a day or two. It's really no big deal." Unfortunately for her, she had unintentionally moved her arms to prove her point, only to have pain sneak into her expression. If I had been able to catch it, there was no doubt in my mind that every wolf, and Edward, caught it. Including the very protective boy holding her like at any second she would crumble in his grasp.

Jacob lowered his cheek to the top of Rachel's head and pulled her into his body. I saw her breath catch when he placed his lips to her hair before covering the spot again with his cheek.

"Indulge me. I don't want to take any chances." he countered. I could tell by the dazed look in Rachel's eyes that she had been affected by Jacob how Edward brainwashed me with his brilliance. She knew she had lost the battle and wasn't appreciating it.

"You won't be satisfied until a vampire runs his hands over my wounds will you?" she asked, rolling her eyes up at Jacob, trying I discovered to break the spell he had cast on her and/or to dispel the uncharacteristic suffering in his face. It worked on both counts. Jacob smiled despite himself and Rachel's face turned sulky as she glared over at Edward. She sighed exasperatedly.

"Fine." Rachel growled, throwing her good arm into the air to signal surrender. "-But so help me, if I catch you trying to give me morphine, I'm going to kill you." I noticed when one of Edward's perfect eyebrows arched in curiosity, but he only shrugged.

"Based on those injuries, you may be singing a different tune after I take a look at them." Edward stated darkly. Rachel stuck out her tongue with a look that read; yeah right.

Jacob turned and headed back towards his house.

"Come on." he commanded, but didn't look back, his attention strictly on Rachel.

"What part of _no_ drugs don't you get." Rachel hissed angrily in Jacob's bed. Edward had cleaned up all the cuts and she had somehow gotten into fresh clothes by herself. I couldn't help feeling relieved, even though she looked so fragile with the makeshift casts on her leg, her shoulder, and her arm. Rachel looked three-hundred percent better than in the forest. Unfortunately, even her super fast healing couldn't heal her broken arm, three broken ribs, a shattered collar bone, and a leg broken in three places fast enough to meet Rachel's demands. Her arm had already tried and Edward was going to have to rebreak it so it could heal right. He was holding a menacingly looking needle to Rachel, saying that the morphine would be necessary for the pain. Rachel was, however, less than willing to comply.

"I don't need it!" Rachel growled again. She was going as far as to crawl into the farthest corner of the bed and growl like a caged animal ready to attack.

"Any particular reason why you're being so difficult? You don't like morphine?" he asked.

"Any drugs really, for two reasons. One: I've been taught that if I'm stupid enough to get hurt, I live with the pain. I tend to not make the same mistake when I have to deal with the after-effects." Rachel answered, seeing this as her way out of the sticky situation.

"Two: Drugs make me too loopy. I end up being useless until they make their way out of my system." she shivered at a thought.

"You forgot to mention the third reason." Jacob mumbled as he came into the room with a phone in his hand. Whoever was on the other line was really angry. I could hear them shouting through the speaker across the room.

"You're just too stubborn." Rachel smiled mischievously at him and raised an eyebrow.

"But that's why you think I'm so charming." she stated sarcastically with a flip of her hair. The sudden pain that read on her face was quickly removed and replaced by a fake smile. Before Jacob could comment, another yell came from the phone, shouting off a list of profanities as clear as a bell tone. The voice sounded very familiar to me.

Apparently, Rachel thought so too. As she listened to the voice, her eyes got as big as saucers before they climbed up to Jacob's face with disbelief arching her eyebrows into her hairline.

"Oh, no, Jake. You didn't-you didn't call-" Jacob pushed the speakerphone button and Eliza's voice filled the room with what sounded like curses in French, but I couldn't be sure considering I had never taken the course. Jacob hit the button again and Eliza's voice became a mumble. A very loud and irritated mumble.

Rachel groaned and held out her good arm for the phone. Jacob, still flinching from the yelling on the other end relinquished it to Rachel.

"Eliza?" Rachel cringed from a new fit of yelling, only a great deal kinder in its nature.

"Yes, ye-, no. Not-…yes. I-" Rachel rolled her eyes as Eliza listed off several questions that kept running into each other before Rachel could get a word in.

Eliza must have taken a breath because Rachel yelled, "Eliza, I'm fine. Jacob's just a dork. Don't-" but Rachel had waited too long. Eliza was going into another fit of instantaneous statements that sounded like they fully agreed with Rachel's description of Jacob. If anything, Eliza was going into detail on how _right _her depiction was. Rachel held the phone away lazily, giving a are-you-happy-now look at Jacob, who only looked down guiltily at his feet.

Rachel's face suddenly became dark at something Eliza said. She growled angrily into the phone.

"You most certainly will _not._ I happen to like him with all his limbs, thank you _very _much." I gasped and looked over at Jacob. He was biting his bottom lip, his eyes tortured. His posture was like he had been beaten, his shoulders slouched and his hands buried in the pockets of his torn-up pants.

"I appreciate your concern," Rachel started when she found another break in Eliza's run-on sentences. "-but that won't be necessary. Keep doing what your doing up there, and let _me_ worry about things going on here. I just got careless, there's no need for you to threaten Jacob like that." There was a pause, Eliza coming in more quietly to where I could barely hear the mumble from the other line. Rachel breathed deeply, ignoring the obvious pain such an action caused.

"Thank you for trusting me _that _much. And I promise, I won't let Leah do something like this again." Rachel handed the phone back to Jacob, the line dead.

"SHEEEESH!" she exasperated as she flopped back onto a pillow, the bed frame shaking with the disturbance. Her eyes opened, only so she could glower at Jacob.

"Did you have to tell them about something like this? They could have gone on, having a perfectly carefree existence, without something as trivial as this on their minds." Jacob didn't look up from his feet when he answered, "It's not trivial. They wanted to know if something like this ever happened. I owe them that much."

Rachel sighed and looked up at the ceiling. Silence followed for a good minute and a half.

"So, Eliza was angry?" Edward said with a small laugh. Rachel rolled her eyes till they were on him.

"That's the understatement of the year. She threatened to come down here; kill Leah and then rip off one of Jacob's arms as a sacrifice to her outrage. Luckily I was able to persuade her that that was going a bit overboard." Rachel replied. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes in concentration to calm down.

"Jacob, do me a favor, and next time I get scratched by a pup, don't go telling Eliza that I was beaten within an inch of my life okay? It makes her more nervous than she needs to be."

"Scratched?" I couldn't stop myself. "You're a lot worse than scratched, Rachel. Look at you." Rachel obeyed as though to see new development in her condition, looked back up at me and shrugged.

"I'm still in one piece. I'm healing. What is the big deal? I'll be out of here by tomorrow morn-"

"-Tomorrow _night_." Edward finished for her. Her gaze jumped to him, suddenly looking as though she were a child getting grounded for two weeks instead of one.

"You've got to be kidding." she whined. Edward shook his head with a grin.

"That pup did a lot worse than you seem to realize. Which by the way, if I don't rebreak this arm now, it's going to remain this way. Last chance for morphine." Rachel's raised eyebrow gave him his answer.

"Fine then." Edward sighed as he took Rachel's twisted arm in his hands.

"Ready?" Edward asked one last time. Jacob turned his back on the scene and sealed his eyes shut. His hands were balled in such tight fists that I saw a ribbon of blood trickle down his fingers. I suddenly remembered what Edward was about to do and threw my hands over my eyes. There was a sickening _crack _but that was it. The next thing I knew, Jacob was tapping me on the shoulder and I was looking back at the bed. Edward was putting the make-shift cast back on Rachel's arm and helping to lay down. She wasn't hiding the fact that she was hurting now or the tiredness that had over taken her. Even so, she managed to smile at me.

"Bet this creeps you out doesn't it." I didn't trust my voice to come out evenly and betraying my fear. I nodded. She wasn't fooled. Her eyes were gloomy as looked at her broken leg.

"You will need to stay off that leg for at _least_-" Edward pointed out that it was a minimum. "-of twenty-four hours." Rachel, her eyes still closed, growled weakly but didn't bother to move. "Got that?" Edward asked, looking towards Jacob. Jacob nodded. I could tell by the sudden irritated but understanding that appeared in Edward's eyes that he was looking at Jacob's mind.

"It's not your fault. Beating yourself up when you couldn't have done anything to stop it, is a useless waste of energy you could be using to force her to take some morphine." Edward moved and suddenly a shoe was in his hand. How'd that get there? Edward looked suspiciously at Rachel, who _seemed _to be fast asleep, but I could have sworn the corners of her mouth were tilting upward in a roguish grin.

"And also-" Edward continued, a bit more seriously. "-keep Leah away from Rachel. I don't know if I really need to tell you this, but Rachel can't really defend herself in her condition." Jacob didn't give the smart remark I was expecting him to, but just nodded. An indignant grunt came from the motionless Rachel, but she remained in her comfortable position.

"If Leah comes within one hundred feet of Rachel-" Jacob added ominously. "-there won't _be _a next time." Jacob's tone made me wrap my arms around myself to fight away the sudden chill that gripped tightly on my body. He wasn't bluffing, and I hoped for Seth's sake, Leah's younger brother, that Leah wouldn't take Rachel's weakened state as an opportunity.

"Well, we better get going." Edward stated as he wrapped an arm around me. I looked up at him, not wanting to leave fearing that something else could happen while we were gone. Something worse. I didn't want to leave Rachel in her state, or leave Jacob near suicide. Yeah, that's how bad he looked! As though as soon as we left him alone, he'd go looking for the tallest cliff with sharp and painful-to-look-at rocks at the bottom and _not_ try to dodge them.

Edward saw my hesitation and leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

"Jacob wants to talk to Rachel alone." he whispered discreetly in my ear. "And she wants to tell him to stop blaming himself. It's not something that I think we need to see." Reluctantly, I nodded and was about to leave.

"Edward-" Jacob suddenly called. Edward turned his head only slightly towards Jacob.

"You're welcome, but it's not really necessary. You would have done the same if Alice had been attacked by a stray vampire." he chuckled. Jacob didn't laugh with him.

"No, it needs saying. Thank you for getting Leah off Rachel." Jacob said, and I knew he meant it. I don't think I've ever heard him so sincere in all his life. Except maybe when he told me that he had loved me.

I pushed that thought completely out of my mind and into the deep crevices of the holes still left in my heart. This was no time to think about that. The girl he loved, was destined to be with, was injured and in need of Jacob's care. Our discussion on our relationship had to wait. There was no doubt about that.

Edward nodded to Jacob and tightened his grip on me. He pulled me through Jacob's room, through the front door and into the passenger side of his car. I sat in a complete daze as he drove, not aware of when the Jacob's house disappeared behind the cut of mountain we passed, or the wave of green that flashed before my eyes as we traveled at least fifty miles over the limit. I was only vaguely aware of the purr of the Volvo and the fact that Edward wasn't forcing conversation. For that I was glad. I was on the verge of breaking down, I knew that much and talking may just have ripped me to shreds.

On the one hand I was fighting my feelings for Jacob for Edward and Rachel's sakes, knowing that the pain they would feel after words would probably kill one or both of them. On the other hand, my natural human feelings wondered what if I had chosen Jacob, the one who it would have been as easy as breathing, instead. Would he have met Rachel? If he had, would he have chosen Rachel and if so, would I have ended up like Leah?

I shook the questions away like Edward shook me. We were home.

Nickolette- woosh. This was a hard chapter to write. Mostly because the main story is coming up. I don't mean for it to move so slowly, but it will be moving along, hopefully, after this. I hope to have a few more funny things happen, but I have to warn you, things are going to get kind of worse before they get better for Rachel. I received a really awesome fizz3221 (thanks fizz3221 for the review) asking about Leah, and yes, don't worry. Her uppins will come. Mwahahaha! ….sorry, I'm done. Also, I would like to say that, due to inspiration, I have started a sequel and a prequel to Starless, both from different points of view. The prequel is from Jacob's point of view and the sequel is from another all together. If I tell you who, it may just ruin the ending for you of Starless. Though you probably already figured out who. looks down in shame anyways, I was wondering if you guys would read it and tell me if it goes with the flow? waits for an answer ….please respond and tell me what you think. Also, I'm going to start putting previews after each chapter. They really do help with keeping my writing focused and help me get all my ideas in the clear. For those of you who review my work, I can't thank you enough. It really helps me keep going when I feel like just turning off the computer and doing something else, like focus on my art. (speaking of which, I'm putting art from starless, just pictures I managed in my free time, on my myspace: /weregirl18 and answering questions. If you have any. I'd like to hear your opinions on what you think about Rachel and the other characters. Thanks. If not….well, what can I do)

Okay, that's it.

Nickolette.

Preview: Rachel goes missing and Jacob panics and calls the Cullens. Bella becomes more aware that the Cullens and the Quileutes are keeping a secret from her, a big one. Something so big that Edward actually sends Bella to spend the night at Charlie's while they sort things out. What's the secret that seems to have both the wolves and the vampires in an uproar? How will Bella respond, knowing that her family is still trying to protect her by keeping secrets from her? Find out in Starless, Chapter 16: Secrets.


	16. Secrets

Nickolette: I am soooo sorry that it has taken me so long to continue this story. Classes were taking up a lot of time, breaking dawn came out and completely changed my outlook of how I was going to work out the final chapters and the second story, family stuff taking a lot and all that jazz. I hope you all can forgive me and give me advice on this upcoming chapter. I really need the input because I'm working on writing in real life and any constructive criticism is MOST appreciated. So please review and help me out. Thanks. Hope you like this chapter. If you don't, tell me what I can do to fix my writing. Thanks. Here you go.

I had never faced a longer day in my life than the one following Rachel's attack. The day prior had been spent with Alice using me as her personal dress up doll, Emmett teasing me every chance he got about me waiting to become a vampire or even keeping Edward to his word about our honeymoon, and Esme looking over some new blueprints for something new. I didn't see much of Edward, and Carlisle and Jasper had left for a hunting trip. The weather had turned drizzly, the drops big and loud as they smacked against the side of the house. Their barrage made it impossible for me to escape from Alice's fashion show or Emmett's innuendos, but at least my mind was too preoccupied to allow my previous mental engagement about Jacob to occupy my thoughts. I did think about Rachel though, mostly worried about her wounds and hoping she healed before Leah got brave enough to try again.

I wasn't really sure where Edward had gone off to, but his departure made everything that had happened that day seem like a dream. I didn't think much about his absence until the sun had set and he still hadn't come back. My frustration and worry finally clued Alice to stop throwing dresses on me and for Emmett to back off. I had expected them to laugh and tell me not to worry about Edward, that he was a big boy and could take care of himself. It worried me even more when they shared a strange glance without a laugh ringing through the panic I felt.

I sat on the porch for the longest time, the sun long set, and a briskness in the air that made me thankful for the small quilt Esme had draped over me when I had first sat down.

"Don't worry, Bella." Alice stated a little too late to calm my nerves. "Edward will be back soon."

"Soon?" I asked. "Couldn't you just see him coming back?" Alice bit her lip and rubbed her temples with her fingertips.

"Alice? What's wrong?" I asked, touching her shoulder. She shook her head, a smile appearing between her hands.

"Nothing. Edward's just been hanging out with werewolves too much. I can't see him right now."

I took my position back on the seat, and waited, my eyes desperately crawling over the tree line.

Finally he arrived back, running like a flash of lightning across the field to me. His face was contemplative, distant and controlled, never a good sign.

"Where have you been?" I asked as I threw my desperate arms around his neck. All my nervous energy evaporated as he held me.

"Well-" Edward started as he unwrapped my strangle hold to look me in the eyes. His expression had become very serious. "- I left with the intention to do some hunting, but got a call from La Push from Billy." My heart stopped. My breathing stopped. My thoughts stopped.

"Easy, Bella" Edward comforted while rubbing my arms. His cold hands did little to warm the chill that had spread through me. "Everyone's alright. It's just" he sighed, more irritated now than worried.

"What?!" I practically yelled. Edward, I could tell, held back a laugh and continued with, "Rachel was giving Jacob a bit of trouble."

I felt my face slump in confusion. Rachel giving Jacob trouble? What did that mean?

"Rachel….is a surprisingly fast healer." Edward mumbled, trying desperately to keep down a laugh. "She was trying to start walking a few hours after we left and Jacob nearly broke her other leg trying to get her to lay back down. Her arm and shoulder are completely better by the way. Jacob had a pretty nasty black eye from figuring that out." Edward laughed at an inside joke.

I didn't know if I should join his laughter or ask if everyone in La Push was alright. Edward read my inner conflict and sighed behind a brilliant smile.

"Everyone's alright, Bella. They just wanted to make sure Rachel's injuries hadn't been compromised from her exertion that's all."

I would have let it rest, and trusted Edward's words if Carlisle hadn't come up behind me, put a hand on my shoulder and shared a look with Edward that turned Edward's good humor back to the contemplative mask he had worn when he first came back.

My imagination ran wild as the hours flew into late evening, haunting me with images of what could really be happening in La Push till I crawled into the bed in Edward's bedroom. He was already there, laying on top of the blankets. I said nothing as he ran his hands through my hair, or kissed my cheek, though it did distract me from the frightening aspect that I had uncovered from watching Carlisle and Edward's behavior.

"What aren't you telling me, Edward?" I murmured softly. Edward's face, an image I could trace with my eyes closed, was a mask of fake innocence and cool aloofness.

"I don't understand what you mean." he whispered, lowering his lips to my throat.

"Yes, you do." I persisted, inching away from his touch and ignoring my longing to close that gap.

"-what's going on? What really happened in La Push."

"Absolutely nothing." Edward answered coolly, ignoring my persistence and returning his knowing fingers to my scalp.

I waited, my eyes never leaving his face. I hope my expression was harsh, but when Edward touched me, I wasn't always sure if what my brain told me I should do actually happened.

I was starting to fall asleep when Edward sighed and took my face in his hands.

"Look, Bella. If I could tell you, I would. But, considering that I promised the Quileute's I wouldn't say anything until it was truly necessary, I honestly can't say anything."

"Say anything about what?" I asked suddenly completely awake. My suspicion had been right, but what was so big that Edward had to promise the wolves he wouldn't say anything? "The most I can say is that it is family matters." Edward murmured softly. My mind instantly jumped to the only wolf it could possibly be.

"Leah? Hasn't she caused enough trouble."

"Sam was wondering what I thought should be done." Edward muttered reluctantly.

"Sam asked _you_?" I gawked. Since when had Sam and Edward been on advising terms?

"Okay that's not completely it. He wanted to know how to keep Eliza from coming down here and killing that renegade wolf herself."

"Oh." I could see Eliza coming down and inacting revenge on Leah. Even with how I felt about Leah, I couldn't help but shiver when thinking what Eliza might think a fair trade for Rachel's injuries.

"So, I gave the best advice I could. Send Leah off for a few days so she can cool off and if Eliza comes down here, well, you know." I nodded.

"Are you going to be in trouble since you told me?" I asked. I caught an involuntary twitch in Edward's lips that tipped me off.

"There's more?"

"That's all I can tell you."

"But-"

"Please, Bella. If the time calls for it, I'll tell you and the others."

I sighed but sunk into his side. "Alright, but I don't like it." Edward chuckled and hummed my lullaby until I fell asleep.

* * *

In the morning however….

"What do you mean, Rachel's missing?" Edward asked calmly to the screaming voice on the other end. It was obviously Jacob. I listened more intently, playing with my cereal as opposed to eating it.

Edward was clearly irritated.

"Didn't I tell you not to push her? Yes, drugging her would be considered a push, Jacob." he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, we'll keep our eyes and ears open. Honestly, you werewolves are causing me more trouble than you're worth." he slammed down the phone, now molded to the shape of Edward's fingers, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"So," Emmett started, stretching his muscles with an mischievous smile. "-Rachel flew the coop after what….6 days?"

"Five days, actually." Edward answered dully. "Though I don't blame her. Jacob slipped her some morphine when she wasn't paying attention."

"Idiot." Alice sniffed.

"Maybe we should tell Eliza." Emmett said mockingly, his eyes blazing with an optimism that didn't surprise me.

"Sorry, I don't think getting Jacob killed is going to help anyone." Edward responded, though I thought I saw a light of consideration glaze his golden eyes.

"It'd do _me_ a world of good." grumbled Emmett, obviously disappointed.

"What about Rachel?" I almost yelled. Edward sighed and placed an affectionate hand on the top of my head.

"She's a big girl, Bella. I'm pretty sure she was just getting sick of Jacob's hovering. She'll head back after a while."

I was so frustrated I wanted to scream!

"What about Leah!!!?" I slammed my hands on the table, splashing some of the milk from my cereal on the table. "Didn't you tell Sam to send her off for a few days? What if she finds Rachel alone and injured and takes advantage of it, and-"

"Bella-" Carlisle's soothing voice stopped me mid breakdown. His face was completely relaxed and aloof. "If Rachel is half the warrior Edward has described to have seen in Rachel's memories, she will be just fine. Everyone needs time alone to breathe. Especially those who are constantly in the minds of those around them. Don't you agree?" I felt silly and childish for reacting. I was worrying about a werewolf. A werewolf who hadn't hesitated in joining a family of vampires or biting the leader of the Volturi! Of course she could take care of herself.

That didn't stop my restlessness.

For some reason, Edward had insisted that we all stay home. I think he was trying to make it possible for the Quileute's to search the Cullen territory for Rachel without having to bring up the rules of the treaty, but I didn't ask him. As if he would ever admit of choosing to help a werewolf. He played his piano, unveiling a new masterpiece he had been working on for a while. It was stunning and had a calming effect on my outer frustration, but inside I was still jumping off the walls with nervous energy.

When Alice walked into the living room with a pile of gowns, all seeming to be my size, I lept off the couch and headed for the door.

"I'm going for a walk." I called back while grabbing my blue jacket, not looking back to see anyone who would try to stop me.

Luckily no one did. I stood on the porch for a second, listening to the drizzle that had been threatening to show itself all day. I put the hood of my jacket on and walked to the treeline of the forest just behind the house.

It wasn't long before I was surrounded by the greens of the withdrawn forest. The trees were so thick that the drizzle was barely noticeable. The smell of earth and plants was potent, everywhere I turned a new dose of fresh air filled my lungs. It was peaceful, being alone in the forest.

There was a sound, a low thrumming that overpowered the sound of the rain above. Curious, I followed it, watching my step to try my best not to trip. The sound steadily got louder and louder as I made my way through the forest, not worrying about getting lost. If I did, I would just find a landmark, and Alice would find me in a split second.

The sound was louder than ever, when I pushed through a final layer of shrubbery. A small waterfall thrummed my hearing like a drum. The mist was icy cold against my face and the drop to the base below was just high enough that I wouldn't risk free-falling to the bottom. Curious, I pressed on, watching my footing as I made my way down. My footing only gave once, when I was relatively close to the bottom.

Still, the mud and the muck I fell into wasn't enough of a cushion to alleviate the pain I knew I'd feel in my joints, or the lecture I'd get from Alice, tomorrow.

The water was relatively calm near the bottom, collecting in a small pool and beginning a small stream that lead deeper into the forest. I touched the water, sending a ripple through the icy clear water.

Appeased at my finding, I turned to leave. I looked up at the climb ahead of me and took a step towards the ledge. A rustle in the brush from behind stopped me. My heart instantly tripled its rhythm to keep up with the panic that had instantly made itself known to me. I turned my head as slowly as I could, trying to keep the rest of me as motionless as possible.

Standing by the water's edge, the size of a small pony and staring directly at me was a pure white wolf.

I couldn't remember the last time I had taken a breath. Nothing coherent could make itself to the front of my mind as I stared at the blinding white fur of the creature in the dense green forest. It was bigger than any normal wolf, that was for sure, but no where near the size I was used to seeing in the Quileute wolves. It was sleeker, more agile than any of the Quileute wolves. Built for speed and stamina as opposed to brute force. Even so, the muscles that rippled through its fur weren't something to take lightly.

The wolf tilted its head in a puppy like gesture of curiousity and took a step towards me. I flinched away and fell to the ground, tripping over my own feet into the mud. I took a deep breath to scream.

The wolf stopped its advance. It tucked its tail between its legs and bowed its huge head, its ears flattening against its skull as it took three large steps backward. The shock I felt was the only thing keeping me from screaming for Edward. It seemed sad, weary, and above all, frightened of me.

It focused its eyes on mine and I was able to look past my fear long enough to see a familiar depth and brilliance in it's glimmering blue eyes.

"R-Rachel?" I asked, my voice quivering. Rachel's tail swung side to side in recognition, but her fearful eyes remained lowered. Knowing who it was, I knew what this gesture was. "Don't be afraid." As though I could hear her thoughts, her expression told me that she was worried that I was frightened. She was waiting for me to start screaming. To start running.

I stood up from the mud, never breaking eye contact with Rachel. She followed every movement I made, her legs twitching in nervousness beneath her.

I took a step towards her. She raised her head a fraction of an inch and watched as I took another. I held out my hand to her and she met it half way, placing her wolfish face into my shaking palm. I ran my fingers over her fur, feeling tufts and breaks where scars had left her beautiful coat with holes along her shoulders.

It was hard for me to picture Rachel as this majestic creature in front of me. My dream hadn't done her form justice. Her figure, which had struck fear into me moments before, now seemed otherworldly in it's beauty; not to mention that the white of her fur was so out of place in the green.

"Hi Rachel." I laughed. She pulled away from my touch and ran in a happy circle and padded the earth with feet with glee. Her tail was swinging so hard that the underbrush swayed with its rhythm all around her.

And then it was gone. Her eyes jumped beyond me and the fur on the back of her neck bristled. Her lips pulled back revealing rows of dangerous teeth. Her eyes became icy as she backed away from me. A growl that made the waterfall silent rippled through her like a peal of thunder. The change was enough to turn my blood to ice.

"Step back Bella, slowly." I whirled my head around. Edward was in a defensive position a few steps behind me with Carlisle beside him. Rustling around me revealed the others, coming from every direction, circling Rachel. Her eyes jumped from each vampire, growling at each with new menace and bloodlust in each new reverberating tone.

"Everyone, step back. Give Rachel some room." Edward warned.

"This is Rachel?" Emmett asked in amazement. "Good little doggy." he said, reaching out a teasing hand. Rachel snapped in his direction, missing his arm by inches. I screamed in surprise.

"Hey! Watch it!" he snapped, crouching into an attacking position. Rachel's eyes jumped from vampire to vampire as she sidestepped between Jasper and Alice. Jasper jumped aside, aware of Rachel's intentions based on the emotions he must have been feeling.

"Alice, back up." he warned, giving more room to the snarling wolf. Rachel backed away, keeping her eyes on the company as she distanced herself from us and pinning herself between the vampires and the water.

"Rachel." Edward whispered softly, his voice a soothing tone, with his hands held out like a symbol of surrender. He stepped towards her and my heart leapt into my throat. Why was he going towards her when she was acting that way? Carlisle followed him, placing himself and Edward between me and the ravage dog. Rachel snarled louder, warning them to go no closer.

"Rachel, you need to calm down." Carlisle uttered, his expression flashing towards Jasper.

Before Jasper could react, Rachel bolted past Edward, past Carlisle and flew inches past me into the green. I collapsed to the ground in a daze.

"Bella, are you alright?" Edward asked, instantly by my side. I nodded, though my entire body was shaking.

"What was THAT about!?" Alice asked.

"When Rachel changes, she gives herself over to her instincts. Especially when vampires are around. It didn't help that you all encased her like that." Edward snapped as he pulled out his cellphone.

"How were we supposed to know it was her?" Emmett pouted. "That's what you're for. To tell us which ones are good and which ones are good for killing."

Edward ignored him and put the phone to his ear. A muffled voice answered on the second ring.

"Jacob, we found your mate. She's in the forest outside our house, and she's freaking out." He waited, listening to a question.

"Bella went for a walk and Alice saw her disappear. I expected the worst so we went in to check it out. Rachel wasn't expecting it, and now she's run off." Another question, Jacob's voice louder and angrier than it had been before.

"How were we supposed to know?! For all we knew it was one of them. Look, forget it. Can you please contact her and calm her down. She should still be in her wolf form."

Edward glanced towards me, taking in my expression which must have been as white as a sheet.

"Jacob, my family knows…..I had to tell them…..Because this is getting out of hand. I know. I'll tell her." A pause, a murmur and the click of the phone going dead on the other end.

Edward snapped his phone shut, took a deep breath and made eye contact with each member of his family before laying his gaze on me.

"I'm sorry, Bella."

"Tell me what?" I was regaining control, but that didn't stop me from fearing what was about to be said.

Edward looked towards Alice.

"Alice can you head back up to the house and make a bag of Bella's things? I want her to spend the night with Charlie while we check the forest."

"Already on it." Alice murmured as she vanished.

"Tell me what?" I murmured again, stronger than the first.

"Esme, can you please call Charlie and tell him Bella's on her way."

"Of course," Esme answered, following her daughter into the green.

"Tell me what?!" I yelled. "Why are you keeping something from me!? This is just like with Victoria. Can't you trust me enough to tell me what's going on!?" Edward stopped giving commands and looked at me, seeing just how close I was to losing it. His gaze jumped to Carlisle. I saw him nod his approval before Edward looked back at me. "Alright." he said softly as he tried to compose his thoughts into words.

"Bella, why do you think we came in here?"

"Because Alice saw me vanish." I muttered, on autopilot.

"Yes, because you vanished." he murmured, his eyes jumping back towards his father. There was something I wasn't getting. I thought about it for a second.

Alice had seen me vanish, like I always did when I was with werewolves. Something about this occurrence had frightened them enough to bring the whole family out here to try to protect me and since they couldn't see Rachel, they didn't know she didn't mean me any harm. In fact, they seemed shocked that it had been Rachel. Edward had made a promise to keep something from me and the others, but now thought it was necessary to tell us. Something to do with Rachel's joining the Quileutes. And then that comment Emmett had made, "the good ones and those good for killing." It all seemed connected, but by what.

Then it hit me. My eyes widened, my heart pounded and I looked up at Edward.

"You were worried that this particular werewolf wasn't here for a social visit." I murmured. Edward's face tightened.

"Yes."

"You were afraid that this wolf had intentions of killing me."

"Yes."

"You thought it was Leah." Edward took a deep breath and tightened his jaw.

"No, Bella. Leah is a problem, but she's not the one the Quileute's have been worried about, or the reason why we ran out here."

"Then what? I know I'm getting closer, but you have to help me out. What is it that frightened you guys so bad!?" I was gripping Edward's shirt in my shaking fingers. I was scared. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I had never seen the focus on Edward's face as I did right then.

"Bella, remember on our double date, when Rachel jumped out of the car, and I told you she smelled something?"

I nodded, slightly surprised at the change in subject.

"You thought it was Leah." Edward said slowly, his eyes smoldering into mine. I replayed his words over and over again, relived the scene of Rachel jumping out of the car and Jacob's concern as he watched her go.

"It-it wasn't Leah?" Edward shook his head. "Something much worse."

"Get on with it, Edward, before Bella has a heart attack!" Emmett murmured irritably, but I could see the seriousness in his face.

"She thought she smelled another wolf. Someone from her old pack. Bella-" Edward held my shoulders.

"-Rachel didn't just choose to live with the Turnhearts. She lived with them because she was on the run from her old pack. They have been hunting her, and she and the Quileute's think that they may know where she is." I stared unblinkingly at his face.

"Bella, her family is coming for her."

Nickolette: Wow, it's going to take me some time to get used to this again. Again, sorry to you all for taking so long with this chapter. I'm hoping to bring new chapters out a whole lot faster. PLEASE REVIEW!!!! I can't get better without your comments and I NEED to get better!!!! I know that, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Before I can really start working on the sequels, prequels, or even this story I need to know what I'm doing wrong so I can do it right in the future. Thanks to you who do and thanks for all of your constant support of this story!

Nickolette.

Preview: Bella goes home to Charlie, her eyes opened to the possibility of another war like that with the Volturi. Jumpy and on edge she almost doesn't believe when Rachel appears in her window and wants to spend the day with her. Will Bella be able to get answers from the young girl? Why was she running and what did her old pack want from her? What about Rachel's family? What part did they play in the chase? Find out in Starless chapter 16: Reality check.


	17. Reality Check

Charlie was ecstatic to see me, his face radiating with a welcoming smile that I hadn't been expecting from five days being away from home. And wasn't something I could return, no matter how hard I tried, because of the reason I was there.

"I'm afraid that Rachel's pack could come and hide in the forest." Edward had told me as he drove me to Charlie's.

"I want the day to set up a perimeter and to see if Alice can keep an eye on the perimeter for blank spots."

"And why do I have to go to Charlie's?" I asked again.

"You've seen Rachel. She's learned to avoid normal human contact from her pack. Charlie's is the safest place for you right now." I wanted to argue. I wanted to throw a fit till Edward let me stay with the Cullen's through this catastrophe. But then I would always imagine myself, stumbling over my own feet and getting in the way. That image was the only thing that kept me motionless in the passenger seat of Edward's Volvo.

"Bella!" Charlie called to me as he ran out the front door. He was at the car before I even opened my door. He opened it for me and nearly yanked me out of the car to wrap his arms around me in a tight hug.

"Hey Dad!" I said out of surprise.

"Bella, I missed you." he confided, looking down at me with gleaming eyes. I laughed half-heartedly.

"I've only been gone a week, Dad. Wonder how you'll act when I'm gone for months at a time." Charlie stiffened at that comment. I mentally kicked myself as I realized how much it was going to hurt him when I "died" and couldn't visit him anymore.

Edward cleared his throat behind us and Charlie reluctantly let me go. Edward wrapped me in a powerful embrace.

"I'll be back to pick you up tomorrow. We should have everything done by then." he whispered.

"You better hurry." I whispered back. Edward chuckled and kissed my lips before nodding to Charlie, who grunted a reply, and got back into his car. I watched him drive away, hoping he would hurry and finish the preparations he needed to be safe from the coming threat.

"Only a week and you two are already sick of each other?" Charlie laughed. When I didn't join him, he fell silent and watched as I watched the road.

"Come on, Bells. Let's get inside. You're room is just how you left it."

"Okay." I said with an overdone smile and followed him inside.

Charlie and I sat in the living room, watching a game that my arrival had interrupted. I didn't mind. I liked being with Charlie, and I knew the time was drawing near when I wouldn't be able to visit him like this without blowing the Cullen secret. So I sat in silence, laughing as Charlie yelled at the players on the screen and faked understanding when he tried to explain the calls being made to me.

It wasn't till I heard his stomach growl that I knew there was a daughterly duty I needed to accomplish while I was there.

"I'm going to take my stuff up to my room before I start on dinner." I called to him from the stairs.

"Oh, you don't have to, Bells." Charlie called, wrapped in the game that was drawing to a close.

"I want to, Dad. For traditions sake, you know? What you want?"

"Well, there's some chicken in the fridge." Charlie answered.

"Kay." I closed the door to my room, through my bag on the floor and unscrewed the smile from my face. This was hard. Acting like there was no reason for being there, while my friends and family prepared for visitors that were hunting my newest friend, was difficult even with the t.v. distracting Charlie. Was there something about Forks that made it a national battlefield for mythical creatures or a hiding place for people who danger follows like a magnet? I was including myself in that category, but Rachel too.

Deep in my thoughts, I jumped when a rapping ended the silence. I looked towards the window and fell over backwards into my old dresser out of surprise.

It was Rachel, crouched in my window in a pair of ragged jogging pants and a black tank top. Her face was warped with guilt as she knocked against the glass.

"Bella, I'm really sorry about earlier today. Can I come in?" she whispered. I was still trying to get my heart back under control and my breathing normal. I nodded and she was already sliding into the room gracefully and noiselessly. I stood straight up and looked at her. Her wounds were completely unnoticeable except for a few thin lines of pale flesh where the cuts on her arm had been. Her face hadn't scarred and her arm looked like nothing had even happened to it. She showed no sign of favoring one leg or the other and no pain was readable on her face. If anything, she looked excited. A mischievous glow showed on her face that made me wonder what she was up to.

"Hi ya, Bella." she laughed as she stretched up on her toes in a full body stretch, touching the ceiling as she did. Her smile broadened, her face completely relaxed.

"Hey." I muttered, still surprised that Rachel was in my bedroom. She must have caught my suspicion.

"I already called Edward and told him I was coming over. So you won't be in trouble again. Sorry about earlier…again. I didn't mean to scare the Cullens."

"It's okay." I said, but my voice was shaky. I couldn't get the image of her snarling and growling out of my head. Rachel's eyes met with the floor, her expression repentant.

"I really am sorry. When I'm a wolf, and vampires are nearby, self preservation kicks in. I can usually control it, but I was just too shocked to have vampires everywhere to keep my nature checked."

I focused on the apologizing young woman in front of me, and pushed the angry wolf away. I touched her shoulder comfortingly, she didn't withdraw.

"It's alright. The others should have given you space after realizing it was you." Rachel's eyes jumped up to me, surprise and worry glistening them. Her jaw clenched and she bit her lip.

"You know, don't you. About my pack." I nodded. Rachel pulled away from my hand and sat on the edge of my bed. The frame quivered under her weight, but held strong.

"You must really hate me for bringing this here." I thought about it, and couldn't help laughing.

"Nope, not at all." Rachel's face scrunched in confusion as she stared at me.

"I've brought my share of danger to Forks. It's kind of nice knowing I'm not the only danger magnet around here." Rachel stared at me for a second longer before joining in my laughter.

"Hey, why don't you join me and my dad for dinner? We're having chicken and I promise not to put any herbs and spices on yours." I offered. Rachel looked like she was about to decline, when her stomach roared from hunger. She looked away, embarrassed but she smiled and nodded. She headed for the door. I had to block the way.

"Um, Rachel. I think my father might be suspicious of how you got in here if you just walk down the stairs."

"Oh, right." she laughed again and went to the window. "Got to get used to this human thing." she disappeared as silently as she had arrived.

I made it to the landing just as the doorbell rang.

"I got it." I called and answered the door before Charlie could look up from a boxing match he had switched to, the game over.

"Hello, Bella." Rachel laughed as she stood in the doorway.

"Rachel, what a surprise." I muttered loud enough for Charlie, trying to keep my own laughter at bay.

"Edward told me you were at your old house today and thought it would be okay if I _dropped _by."

"Of course. Come on in."

Charlie had pulled himself out of his chair and was looking at Rachel with wide eyes.

"Um, hello."

"Hello Mr. Swan." Rachel said with a slight bow.

"Dad, this is Rachel. She's knew to the Res."

"Oh. How do you do?" Charlie asked, a bit flustered. I couldn't blame him. Rachel, even when dressed in jogging pants, looked like a supermodel.

"Is it alright if she stays for dinner?" I asked.

"Of course. The more the merrier." Charlie answered.

"I'm going to get started. Rachel, you can go sit with my dad and watch t.v." Rachel nodded and made her way over to the living room. Charlie stayed behind.

"Who is that?" he whispered, his eyes bulging in surprise.

"Rachel. Jacob's new girlfriend from up north." I answered, also whispering though I knew Rachel could hear every word as though we were yelling.

"Jacob's back?! And _he's _dating _her_!?"

"Looks like it, Dad."

"Isn't she too old for him?" I heard Rachel snort across the room.

"I think she's younger than she looks, Dad."

"Huh. Did not see that one coming." he mumbled as he headed towards the living room. I looked over to Rachel, her posture facing the t.v. but her smiling eyes met mine. She rolled her eyes in amusement and watched the boxing match ensue.

"We don't have to watch this, if you don't want to." Charlie sighed, obviously wanting to watch it but not wanting to be rude to the new guest.

"I don't mind. I like this fighter." Charlie's back was to me, but I could imagine the shock on his face.

"You watch boxing?" he gawked.

"If it's fighters I know will win." Rachel nodded to the screen. Charlie stared at the smaller of the two fighters.

"Are you kidding me!? He's scrawny compared to the other guy! There's no way he'll win!" Rachel shook her head.

"He's an awesome fighter." Charlie made a disbelieving sound with his throat, making Rachel stare up at him.

"Don't believe me? Well, let's watch. You'll see."

While I prepared dinner, I heard Charlie yell at his fighter to get his head in the fight. Rachel remained silent, but whenever I glanced at her, she was smiling a smile that reminded me of someone who knew a great secret.

When dinner was almost ready, I turned to see Rachel walking up to the counter, leaving Charlie cursing at the screen. She chuckled.

"I didn't know you knew much about wrestling." I murmured as I placed a salad on the table.

"I don't, but that fighter is a member of the Silverfang pack of Toronto." I almost dropped the salad.

"I met him once. He's got a mouth on him, but he can back it up. The other fighter didn't have a chance."

"You mean, he's a werewolf?" I whispered. Rachel nodded. "A pretty stubborn one at that."

Charlie walked into the kitchen then, his face scrunched up in disappointment.

"I warned you he was good." Rachel smirked as she sat at the table. Charlie followed suit as I brought out the main dish.

Rachel quickly dug into her portion, trusting my cooking enough not to even to smell it first.

"So, Rachel, where are you from?" Charlie asked as he began cutting his chicken.

"A small village in Michigan. I doubt you would know where it is. Most people don't even know it exists." Rachel answered, her focus on her food.

"Did your parents come with you?" Rachel chewed the bite she had longer than necessary, swallowed and smiled at Charlie.

"I don't have any parents. They were killed a few years ago."

"I'm sorry." Charlie replied awkwardly. Rachel shrugged without looking at either of us and took another bite.'

"Do you have any siblings?" Charlie asked. I desperately wanted to tell him to stop asking personal questions, but at the same time I wanted to hear the answers.

Rachel stopped eating this time and looked up towards the ceiling.

"Yup. I'm the second youngest of 24 kids." Charlie choked on what he had been eating and I dropped my fork. "But a lot of them either died or disappeared before I was even born. There are only six of us left." she stated it with indifference as she took another bite of her chicken.

"So Rachel-" I said as I saw Charlie try to come up with something to say. "-do you want to stay the night? It's starting to get dark outside and I wouldn't want you to walk back in the dark." Rachel looked towards Charlie as if for permission.

"It's alright with me." Charlie agreed. She smiled. I saw Charlie squirm in surprise as the power of her brilliant eyes hit him.

"Thanks. I'd like that." We finished our meal without personal questions and kept to neutral topics that left Rachel either laughing or in utter confusion.

Rachel, though offered the couch, insisted on sleeping on the floor of my room. I had to coax her to take a pillow but she refused a blanket. Charlie had decided to go to bed early because he had an early shift in the morning. We didn't talk freely with each other until we heard his rhythmic snores from the other room.

"That was fun." Rachel yawned. "I like your Dad. He reminds of my Michael." "Who?" I asked as I brushed my hair. "My younger brother." I looked at her. Was she honestly talking about her family with me? Her eyes wandered over to me.

"He was born human, too. Making us the only two ever in the history of our pack to be born human." I put the brush down.

"Tell me about him." Rachel smiled at the request. She closed her eyes in focus, a smile formed on her lips.

"He looks like me. Bright blue eyes, messy black hair, and a smile that shows off his innocence. He likes playing hide and seek, even though he always loses. He's eight, no nine. I missed his birthday." She opened her eyes, her gaze distant.

"I think he's starting the third grade this year, but he could have skipped a grade. He's so smart. Smarter than any of the others in the pack litter. He's got a gentle heart, and thinks everyone has some good in them. He looks for the light in people, a very rare trait for people who live like us." Rachel rambled on and on about Michael, how he had practically been born with a smile on his face, how brilliant he was or the strength he had when dealing with people. She sounded like a parent as opposed to a sibling, doting on Michael like she had raised him herself. Based on what I had learned at dinner, that could have been true.

In the middle of a fit of laughter, after describing Michael's first attempts at walking, Rachel's eyes distanced themselves from my room and her smile broke.

"He's expected to not be able to transform into a wolf." she stated morosely.

"So, he'll always be human?" Rachel nodded. "Something that is very dangerous for my family."

"What do you-"

"If you can't defend yourself or the pack, you are a liability." she answered formally. "That's something my older brother, Alexander, told me time and time again when I was little.

Rachel pulled her knees to her chest. "I hope for Michael's sake, he changes soon."

"Is that why it's so rare for humans to be born in your pack? Because there's a chance that they won't be able to morph?" Rachel nodded.

"When you are surrounded by powerful wolves who know only how to care for cubs, they tend to not waste their time learning how to care for human children. Instead they ignore them or try to destroy them. They aren't willing to help those that are different. When you are that different, it's hard no matter what breed you are." Rachel looked towards the wall.

I sat next to her on the hardwood floor, leaning against the wall as I looked at her.

"Is that why you're family's after you? Because you're different?" Rachel laughed bitterly through her nose before she looked at me with sad eyes.

"I wish that was the only reason." I didn't ask her to continue. I didn't do or say anything. I waited with patience I had learned from the Cullens, knowing that Rachel would tell me if I just waited.

"My mother died protecting my brother from a bounty hunter. That's when I first transformed and my people discovered they couldn't hear my thoughts. My father was killed by the current Alpha, Dmitri." Rachel uttered the name like a curse.

"Dmitri-" she continued "-is the ideal werewolf that fills the theatre screen in horror films. In his first week of power he reversed the laws concerning the hunting of humans, permitting it after a century of being disbanded, sealed wolves he thought were threats to him, and challenged the Masturi, something that warrants the death of an entire pack if the Masturi comply to the challenge. Luckily, they didn't respect him enough to comply." I gulped back the terror that gripped me.

"It's tradition to kill the children of the previous Alpha, if the new Alpha acquired his power through killing the old one, so there's no blood lost from revenge. Dmitri, however, preferred to ask the child prodigy, me, to be his mate instead. He was 42. I was 12."

I felt sick to my stomach. "Rachel, I-"

"That's not a very strange occurrence in my world, Bella." Rachel interrupted. She said it like it was fact, not that she agreed with it. "In fact, there are people with a half century between them. We allow it without batting an eyelash. It's natural for us because we live so long.

"-But I couldn't do it. I couldn't be the mate of the man who killed my father. Besides,-" Rachel's expression became almost tender as she recalled. "-I had a feeling that I needed to wait and find my imprint. I could just sense that he was nearby. When I told Dmitri this, he got angry and tried to seal away my wolf." Rachel shivered at the memory. "I had already felt the effects of what a sealing could do to me, and knew I wouldn't survive it again."

"What is a sealing, exactly?" I asked, hearing the term again. "I know it's when an Alpha commands a werewolf never to morph again, but what exactly is it?"

Rachel thought about how to explain it.

"Quite honestly, it's a command that seals away half of our soul. Instead of giving a werewolf time to put her inner wolf to rest, he strips that werewolf of her other half. It's like reaching for something that you know is there, but all you touch is emptiness." Rachel's hand flew over her heart and she closed her eyes tight. Her breathing became labored as she tried to erase a memory that had taken over her. I didn't know if I should reach out for her or just let her get through it on her own. Before I could move to act, Rachel's lashes flickered revealing her controlled expression I had though she had disposed of. She had been so open with me thus far, but I guessed there were just steps that would take longer to take than others

"I ran, Dmitri followed. He was bent on revenge for his hurt pride and I'm sure if Alexander hadn't taken Michael and Chase; my other brother, away with those who were loyal to my father's memory, he would have killed them all.

"That's when I found the Turnhearts. For awhile, I thought I had lost Dmitri. We were happy for a whole year before I saw him again. I fought him, and would have won if not for the Navatra he pulled on me."

"The what?" I asked.

"Navatra. A blade used by bounty hunters, smothered with enough vampire venom to paralyze or even kill a werewolf." I shuttered.

"The Turnhearts got me out of there. I was paralyzed for 4 days. We ran and ran. Finally we lost him, but I was always checking my back. That's when I met Jacob." a smile broke through Rachel's vacant stare, but her eyes were still trapped in a memory.

"But Dmitri attacked again. He had more wolves than before and another Navatra with enough venom to kill me if Mary hadn't used her powers to remove the poison. That's-" Rachel pulled back the collar of her shirt, revealing the scar I had seen the day we had gone swimming. "-where this came from.

"We high-tailed it out of there. Mary discovered that she could destroy any trace of our path with her powers. We escaped and Dmitri couldn't track us down. As far as I knew, we had still bested him, our tracks, our scent all hidden by Mary. How he has found me now, I just don't understand.

"Even now, after finding my imprint and a pack who believes the same as I do; that humans should be protected and not seen as sport or a lower species, and being the happiest I have ever been, I am reminded that those brief moments of happiness can't last. It's when I give in to that happiness that Dmitri forces me to have a reality check and leaves me more broken then he did before."

"But you have Jacob now." I muttered, unintentionally choking on the words. Her eyes flashed towards me. The bridge of her nose was pinched as she stared at me with sudden distrust.

"Can I ask you something, Bella?"

"Sure. I've been asking you questions all week." I answered, wondering what was puzzling her.

"What are your feelings towards _my imprint?" There was no inkling of a joke in her eyes or on her lips. She really wanted to know. My dinner turned in my stomach as my mind tried to tell me I should respond. _

"_I-I don't know." I answered truthfully. Rachel's eyes took on such pain in that split second that I instantly wished I had lied. _

"_I mean, we were best friends, then I found that I loved him. But I love Edward, so what happened to my feelings for Jacob? I'm just confused." That appeased the agony in Rachel's face a little. _

"_He thinks about you a lot." she mumbled. "I can really see it when we run together. He tells me not to worry about it. That he loves me, but that doesn't change the fact that he remembers the feel of you in his arms. Or the touch of your lips against his. I may be strong and been raised by wolves, but I'm still human." _

"_Rachel, listen-" _

"_I gave up everything to come here." Rachel interrupted, her eyes determined as they bore into mine. They were filled with hurt, but also with determination. _

"_I can never go back to my old life, and that's fine with me. If I have Jacob. Losing him, just thinking that I could lose him, hurts me more than I can bear. Losing him is like losing a heart beat-" her eyes focused so deep into mine that I couldn't move even if I wanted to. "-it'll kill me." _

"_Rachel, I don't want to take Jacob away from you." I muttered and I knew that was true. I didn't want to hurt Rachel by ripping the only thing she had away from her. No matter how confused my emotions were, she didn't deserve that. _

"_I'm just confused. The Jacob I see with you reminds me so much of the Jacob that I knew before he transformed. Kind. Loving. Gentle. I used to call him My Jacob just to distinguish between the two. I don't love him." I finished, but I didn't feel the truth ring in the last statement as I had hoped. Rachel watched me, her eyes softening to the indistinguishable hurt rather than the anger. _

"_No offense Bella, but he's not your Jacob anymore. He's mine." It was like she had slapped me. I knew every word she said was true. I had Edward along with a family I loved and longed to become a part of. So why, why was I still clinging to my memories with Jacob?_

"_I'll leave if you want." Rachel said, rising from the ground. I shook my head. _

"_You were telling me exactly what I needed to hear. It's true, he's not my Jacob anymore." _

"_I'm sorry that I said it like that. It's just-" Rachel's face softened back to the child I was now used to seeing. "-your hold is so deep on him that he almost didn't imprint on me at all. I guess I got a little, defensive. Sorry." _

"_Not at all." _

_Rachel spoke about her homeland for hours after that, avoiding anything dealing with the family and pack that was hunting her down or Jacob. Our relationship didn't seem to have been affected by our talk, though it seemed a bit deeper knowing each other's views. _

_All the while she spoke, the back of my mind was wrapped around what she had mentioned about being forced to have a reality check. That's what had happened. I had been forced to see the reality of the fact that Jacob belonged with Rachel, and I belonged with Edward. There was no in between. Why couldn't I be happy with that?_

_I steadily grew wearier and wearier until my eyes were just too heavy to keep me conscious. I crawled into bed and laid there, watching Rachel as she sat silently looking up at the stars. _

"_Aren't you tired?" I asked through the fuzziness of fatigue. Rachel glanced up through the window, her expression deep in thought. _

"_No, if I need to sleep, I'll leave the house. I don't want to wake Charlie up or break anything if I have a bad dream." _

_The night horrors. _

"_What is it you usually dream about?" I asked, my fatigue making me bold enough to ask before I slipped away. Rachel didn't answer right away, making me wonder if she had even heard me. But, finally,-_

"_The people I couldn't save and those that may get caught in the cross fire of this upcoming battle." she whispered, but I was too far gone to know if I had actually heard it or if I had already slipped into a dream. _

_Nickolette:_

_Huh, this chapter wasn't as hard as the last one. I'm sorry to those who are thinking, "where's the funny?" I'm going to try to make the next chapter a little bit more comical, but, unfortunately things are going to start going down hill as we draw closer to the end of this story. But there will be a happy ending! Well, for some of the characters. Please review so I can know what I am missing in my writing style. Every little comment or encouragement helps. I like thinking that people actually enjoy this story as opposed to just reading it to help the time pass by. Thanks for reading._

_Preview: Rachel doesn't want to go back to La Push, fearing reproach from an angry Sam and an overly-protective Jacob. In a hasty action by Rachel to avoid them, Alice finally gets the chance to do what she has wanted to do since she met Rachel: take her shopping for real clothes. Fearful for Rachel's life (and her sanity) Bella reluctantly travels with them to a mall. Rachel faces the horror of Alice's one track mind and complete desire to change the shabby werewolf - sheik. To what lengths will Alice take and how will young Rachel fare against the power of the tiny vampire? Find out in Starless chapter 18: Cash or credit? _


	18. Cash or Credit?

Chapter 18: Cash or Credit

Rachel wasn't in the room when I woke up early the next day. She had been serious about leaving. I stretched before I got up and headed down the stairs. Charlie was already gone, but the TV. was on, blaring the high pitched voices of colorful cartoon characters I had never seen before. I heard the clink of silverware from the living room and muffled voices that I recognized instantly. I rushed down the steps.

"How is it you've never heard of Pride and Prejudice, and yet you watch_ this_ animated garbage?" Alice asked, her tone revealing her disgust for the fuzzy characters running across the screen.

"I haven't been able to sit in front of a t.v. since I transformed. It was a real downer when I couldn't find out what happened on this show." Rachel murmured from the floor, a bowl of cereal in her lap as she sat hypnotized in front of the television.

"You were ten."

"Nine actually. So?"

"So, it's high time you broaden your horizon's away from….what is this show again?"

"Hamtaro." Rachel answered belligerently, as though everyone should know what that was.

Both Alice and Rachel looked back at me when I stepped onto the landing. "Hi Bella." Rachel said with a stunning smile. It was as though our conversation the night before had never happened, like it had all been a dream.

"Hope you don't mind. Emily introduced me to Corn Pops cereal yesterday and I saw you had some. I can't get enough of this stuff. Is that okay?" Rachel asked.

"Of course. Charlie doesn't eat that stuff anyways." Rachel's smile broadened as she pulled out the box of the cereal from it's hiding spot and poured herself another helping.

"that's good. I'll take it off his hands then." She stuffed another bite into her mouth before focusing back on the screen.

"He told me to tell you that he hopes you had a good time, to visit again real soon, he loves you, and sorry that he didn't wake you up to say goodbye before he went to work. He wanted you to sleep in."

I turned my attention to Alice, who was sitting a good ten feet away from Rachel and staring at the screen with disdain.

"We have truly run out of things to turn into television. Look what they are filling the minds of our youth with." she pointed to the screen.

"I don't see anything wrong with it." Rachel muttered.

"Yea, a werewolf who barely has a second grade education.""Third grade." Rachel snarled stuffing her mouth with more cereal.

"Oh, that's much better." Alice rolled her eyes to me. "_This_-" Alice pointed to Rachel. "-is the gleaming hope for future generations."

"Hey, let's see you go to fourth grade after your body ages like 18 years in 3 months of summer vacation. Oh-" Rachel put her hand on her mouth in fake horror. "-I'm sorry. You're doomed to spend the rest of eternity going to high school. I forgot." She stuck out her tongue when Alice didn't respond and watched as the credits danced across the screen.

"What are you doing here, Alice?" I asked, surprised and a little disappointed that Edward hadn't come to pick me up. Alice looked up at me innocently. That was a dead give away.

"Edward's still worried about making sure the forest is safe." I stated. Who else could worry so much about a household of vampires than the only one with something as fragile as I was.

"I'm here to distract you." Alice smiled. I was always frightened when she got that certain gleam in her eyes.

When the phone rang, I jumped.

"You're losing your touch, Alice." I snickered. Alice frowned in irritation towards the phone.

"No, it's just a dog." Alice muttered. I stopped with my hand an inch from the phone. I had automatically thought of Rachel's family. Could they have found her? Were they calling to tell us they had the place surrounded?

"I better get that. Edward must have told them where to find me." Rachel sighed, suddenly putting her bowl in the sink. She grabbed the phone, a guilty look on her face.

"Hello?" she answered shyly. She flinched and pulled the phone away from her sensitive ears. I could hear it was clearly Jacob. He was angry, relieved, nervous and concerned all at the same time, his voice flexing in and out of each different emotion.

"Sorry. I just needed some space…..Cuz you were being overly clingy." Rachel mumbled in her defense. Her eyes widened at something he said, replaced with more guilt than before.

"Was Sam really that mad?" As Jacob described it to her, I could see the dread become more and more readable on Rachel's face.

"I-I can't come back right now. Um, I'm-" her eyes jumped to me and Alice.

"-I'm hanging with Bella and Alice today." she blurted out. Alice hissed in irritation. "-and I don't want to be rude. It's my family's fault for ruining their normal routine. Besides, I already accepted. Oh, we're leaving the house now." Jacob said one more thing that I noticed intrigued Alice, her eyes taking on that dangerous light as she looked Rachel over.

"Yeah. Love you." Though it was obvious from her lack of practice that she had been lying through her teeth about hanging out with me and Alice, the truth that rang in her words at her farewell made my heart ache. She really was attached to Jacob for keeps.

Rachel took a deep breath and tilted her head upward. "Well, Sam's furious with me for running off. Jacob doesn't know if he's relieved to hear my voice or angry that I hadn't followed Edward's advice for the full day healing. Sorry that I used you as a way out. You too, Alice." I shook my head, but Alice continued to stare at Rachel with a new determination.

"You know, that suggestion that Jacob made at the end, it wasn't half bad." Alice stated, walking over to Rachel. I could see confusion in Rachel's face as she replayed Jacob's conversation in her head. Her eyes widened.

"And if I have to hang out with you, I might as well have some fun in the process." Alice snickered.

"What did he say?" I asked her. Rachel's eyes crept over to me, begging for forgiveness as they finally met mine. "He suggested-" Alice's smile both stunned me from its brilliance and from the menace in it. "-to have the crazy fashion blood sucker, that's me, take her to a mall and help her pick out her clothes since Emily was busy today." Horror filled me, body and soul.

"Let's go girls. I have a full tank of gas, 3 unlimited credit cards and a whole day of distraction to commit to." Alice said merrily as she skipped down the hall.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Rachel had no idea what she was in for as she jumped into the back seat of Alice's sleek yellow car. She was too busy rolling down the window to let the wind hit her in the face as Alice drove at 115 miles an hour. I sat in the front seat, focusing on the music Alice played through the rockin' stereo system and not on the grueling task that lay ahead.

After half an hour of driving, Alice pulled into a parking place of a mall that I would never have dreamed able to afford a shoe strap on the grungiest pair of shoes.

Alice lead the way knowingly, dance stepping from window to window with a knowing eye. Rachel stayed close to me, unsure whether to find Alice's mood amusing or terrifying. Finally, alice signaled for us to follow her into a store covering name brand shoes, to designer jeans, to elegant ball gowns, to sheik t-shirts.

"This looks like a good place to start." Alice mumbled as an after thought. I saw Rachel tilt her head in my peripheral vision. Poor girl, still completely clueless as to what was coming.

"You know, for a girl with a body like yours, I would think you'd want to show it off a little bit more." Alice muttered as she looked through the garments, making a small pile behind her.

"And your skin is almost as clear as Bella's. You werewolves have it easy. Skip right over puberty and the horrors of acne I see in today's human world.

"Yeah. Instead we grow up so quickly we can't be accepted into human society." Rachel murmured back, actually taking out a shirt and holding it up to her. She glanced at her reflection in a large mirror, curious. "But hey, at least we have healthy skin."

"You can't possibly be thinking I'm going to let you try THAT on, do you?" Alice asked aghast, completely overlooking the sarcasm and appalled at the shirt Rachel was holding up to herself.

"What's wrong with it?" Even I had to wonder. It was a very cute orange shirt that would probably fit Rachel beautifully.

"It's not your color." Alice snarled as she ripped the shirt from Rachel's grasp and flung it back on the rack.

Rachel glanced over at me. I nodded, she finally understood. Alice was in her element and nothing the two of us could do or say would stop her.

3 hours later.

"Come in here, Rachel. I found another outfit-"

"No!" Rachel yelled back, gripping the bench she and I were recovering on so tightly that the wood groaned under her fingertips.

"We've been at this for far too long. I don't tire easy but, for crying out loud Alice you didn't have to buy Bella and me all that." Rachel pointed at the heap of packages and boxes of designer clothes we had shopped for at Alice's merciless pace. When piled up, the mound was as tall as I was, the majority of it were Rachel's. Luckily for me, Alice had decided to wait until after I change into a vampire before she really goes crazy with the fashion. Rachel, on the other hand, was technically her mortal enemy and she only had one shot at changing Rachel's entire outlook on fashion in one short day.

"Have you forgotten that if there's ever an emergency I will have to change at a moments notice? Most likely ripping these ridiculously priced clothes to shreds?" Alice's contemplative gaze showed that she had indeed forgotten that little point.

"Well, then we'll just have to go back to all those places and buy you copies of everything until you learn to control-"

"NO!" Rachel yelled, jumping up so fast it made my head spin.

"There's no way I'm going back through all that."

"If you're going to use me as an excuse to escape that guard dog of yours, you're going to play my game." Alice snarled, stepping towards Rachel.

"Make me." Rachel growled as she crouched. I felt my heart pounding, knowing that neither of them could recall that we were in a public mall. Luckily no one had noticed the supernatural creatures arguing and coming near blows. Alice's snarling angel lips suddenly drooped at a thought.

"You're cranky. Let's get you some ice cream." I watched Rachel slowly rise out of her crouch, confused and dazed at the sudden change in her counterpart's reaction.

I came to realize that I loved how easy it had become for me to read her subtle reactions and emotions. Less than a week ago I was contemplating how she could be so emotionless. Her emotions weren't hard to see, at least to someone looking for them.

"Bella, your blood sucker frightens me with her abnormal reactions and her strange words that could mean a variety of things to me. What is this…..ice cream?" I couldn't help laughing, catching Alice's exasperated expression at the infuriating girl between us.

"It's food. Come on, I'll show you." I murmured through a chuckle. I grabbed as many bags as I could, Rachel copying me reluctantly, and looped my arm through hers and followed Alice to a gourmet ice cream parlor.

It was unlike any ice cream shop I'd ever been. The marble floors looked clean enough to eat off of, the employees wore ties, and there were table cloths on the table. A woman who looked like it had already been a very long day lead us to a table in the middle of the room and gave us a menu.

Rachel's eyes bulged after reading each title, becoming more weary of what we were doing there.

"Rocky road? Tin roof? You people eat this stuff?" Rachel's appalled and shocked face made even Alice laugh. I shook my head, shaking off any danger she may have been considering towards her health.

"It's just a name for it Rachel. Here, I'll order for you." I comforted her as I opened my own menu, baffled more by the prices of the ice cream then the names.

"I didn't think you could put this many zeros on a price of ice cream." I murmured. Alice opened her menu for the first time, considering that she wasn't going to partake in ordering anything . Her eyes glanced at the price, but other than didn't even bat an eyelash.

"Just order whatever will give you the energy for a few more hours of shopping." Alice murmured unworried.

I sighed grudgingly. There was no arguing with Alice on this. Rachel had put the idea of a good day of shopping in her head and it was stuck there. The only real problem was that she didn't tire. I tired quickly compared to Rachel-who could probably go a few more hours without breaking a sweat- but who wouldn't let the fact that she disliked every minute of it pass our minds. I chose that moment to see Rachel's reaction to Alice's words.

Rachel looked savage. Her head was tilted down to where her icy blue gaze was staring at Alice loathingly under her eyebrows. Her jaw was clenched and the corners of her mouth were held in a permanent snarl.

"Rachel, let go of the table." I whispered urgently. "The waiters might get suspicious if you shatter it." Rachel glanced down at her hands. Her fingers were a half an inch into the thick oak table. She slowly pulled away each finger with intense focus. The waiter came to the table ready to take our order. Before I could order for her, Rachel snapped open her menu and scanned the opposite side of the flavors. She handed the menu to the waitress.

"The most expensive one, biggest size you've got." she growled.

"Aw, that would be the French vanilla coffee ice cream. Is that alright?" the waitress shook as she asked the typical questions, worried about the bitter and angry expression on Rachel's face.

"Yup." Rachel replied with the phoniest smile I had ever seen her try to wear. I ordered a small bowl of rocky road and looked at my watch. Only 1:30. I groaned and watched the eye staring, growling and hissing competition between my two mythical friends.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Rachel, stop! Slow it down!!!" Alice screamed. Her eyes were weary, her expression embarrassed as she and I watched Rachel run from one store window to the next, talking a million words a minute, and practically bouncing with each step.

"Great, a werewolf on a half gallon of sugar and caffeine I was so foolishly shoving down her throat to keep her going." Alice sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. I laughed before looking back towards Rachel and her sugar-caffeine brought on energetic hop.

"OOOOOOh, I like this one Alice. What's that? Why do guys have to wear it? Oooh, this stuff smells good. What is it? Oh, Bella, look, a pet store! Can we go in! Can we? Can we? Can we?" She asked as she jump-ran over to me. Something shiny distracted her before she could get to me and she ran to the opposite wall.

I dared to take my eyes off her for a second to look at my watch. 1:45. Note to self: warn Jacob about Rachel's low tolerance for a combination of caffeine and sugar.

"This trip is officially over!" Alice's voice made me shutter. "Why? What's wrong? I know she's hyper but-"

"She jumped in the fountain!!!! When I get my hands on her-" Alice murmured as she walked towards Rachel as calmly as she could, Rachel wondering why there was a pool in a shopping mall. I rolled my eyes and sighed. Never a dull moment.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Is she still out?" Alice whispered to me as she drove. I looked over my shoulder into the back seat. Completely covered in the bags of clothes that wouldn't fit in the trunk, Rachel laid asleep. After we managed to get her to the car, she had fallen asleep as soon as we started piling packages on her. She twitched in her sleep, not to mention the occasional bark. She looked surprisingly calm, and I thought I saw a small smile on the corner of her lips, but I didn't tell Alice that.

"Yes, she's still asleep." I whispered.

Alice shook her head in disgust.

"remind me never to take her shopping again. At least without a tranquilizer dart, rope, and a werewolf rangler." she snarled, still fuming over having to pay for damages done to the statue in front of the store when Rachel had decided to climb up it and see how high she would be.

I could help smiling. Rachel was an extraordinary girl. She left her family for a coven of vampires, had bitten Aro and had lived to commence the single most shocking event in the history of mankind: make Alice start a list of people she never wanted to take shopping.

Nickolette: Wow, that was harder to write then I thought it would be. I just needed something fun to write before I get into the meat of the plot. It also really helped when I got a review from Emmy bell. I'm telling you guys, I can't write if I don't think no one is reading it. Please review. It helps inspire me to write and really gets the creative juices flowing. Please? I'm not too proud to beg. Pleeeeeease!!!!!!!? Thanks. Well, here's the preview for the next chapter. Tell me what you think about where this story is going.

Preview:

Rachel heads home to be with the wolves while Bella returns to Cullen manner. In the doorway are the Turnhearts to help and to deliver bad news. Dmitri's pack has disappeared from their surveillance. To make matters worse Rachel has received devastating news from her brother, Alexander. With Rachel crushed the Quileute's ask the Cullens for their help in the upcoming battle and to heal Rachel's pain. Can Rachel get passed the news and lean on her new pack for support, or will she give herself up to keep the pain from spreading to the young Quileute pack? Find out in Starless Chapter 19: Starless.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Starless

It took even less time returning to Forks than the trip to Alice's shopping center. Alice was constantly muttering to herself and seemed anxious to get us home and get Rachel _out_ of her car. Rachel didn't stir once from under pile of shopping bags, though an occasional bark escaped her lips. She didn't even wake up when Alice stopped the car at the boundary line.

"Hey, wake up, Dog. You can't hide from your pack anymore. Get out of my car. You're stinking up the upholstery." Alice snapped.

Rachel stretched, causing an avalanche of bags to topple to the floor in the back seat. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, once again revealing the child underneath the grownup exterior. She looked at us, dazed and confused.

"What happened?" she groaned, popping bones and stretching stiff muscles without any consideration for how many bags she moved and tussled in the process.

"You got us kicked out of one of my favorite malls, Mutt." Alice hissed. Rachel rolled her droopy eyes and laid down on the clothes, almost as though she was about to fall back asleep.

"They overcharged anyways. I did you a favor." Rachel yawned again.

"Whatever, just get out of my car!" Alice, fast as cobra strike was already standing outside, holding Rachel's door open. Rachel rolled her eyes to me, a slight smile turning the corners of her lips.

"guess the fun's over. Time to go face Sam and Jacob." She groaned as she leapt out of the car.

I watched her stretch as she walked towards the boundary line, worrying about Sam and Jacob. How much trouble would she be in because she had come to my house rather than stay in bed?

Rachel, sensing my worried gaze turned once to look back at me. A defiant smile and a perched eyebrow wiped away my fear.

"Wish me luck. See ya, Alice. I'll pick up those clothes some time soon, kay?" and she bolted into the trees.

If Alice hadn't demonstrated how fast she was, I wouldn't have noticed the split second longer it took her to get behind the wheel. But as it was, as soon as Rachel was out of sight, Alice held the back door open a millisecond longer than it should have.

"Alice?" I called just as she was buckling herself in. Her face was confused and harder than it had been when Rachel had been with us.

"Alice? What's wrong?"

"I-I don't know yet. But we have some guests back in town. The Turnheart family is back at the house. I hadn't been able to see them because of Fido in the backseat."

This new bit of information worried me. I didn't know why, but I was suddenly tense from head to toe as we made our way back to Cullen manner.

* * *

"Hello again, Bella." Eliza chirped as she wrapped her arms around me. Everyone was waiting outside the house when we pulled up to the garage.

Her behavior seemed different then it had been on our first meeting. It was forced, rather than naturally bubbly and energetic. Her face couldn't hide the frustration and worry she was trying so hard to conceal. Edward replaced her arms when she released me.

"How are you doing, Eliza? You seem a bit-edgy." I asked, being bolder than I normally would be with an unknown vampire. Eliza puckered her beautiful lips and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Ticked off to say the least." she glowered. "I am fighting the temptation to rip off Jacob's arm, or Sam's face. I would settle for Leah, but she's not here." I suddenly remembered how angry Eliza's voice had sounded through the phone the day Rachel had been attacked. Mad and worried.

"They couldn't have done anything to stop Leah." Edward stated in Jacob's defense. "Leah would have attacked Emily, and we all know from Rachel's personality that she would rather have died then let that happen."

"I'm well aware of that Edward." Eliza growled indignantly at my husband. "Why do you think Jacob is still walking around? What irritates me most of all is that he promised me he would protect her from all of this. He swore to me he would keep her safe if we trusted her with him." Eliza looked down, her eyes unreachable.

It touched me to see how much Rachel meant to Eliza despite the fact that they were naturally born enemies. I could see the same compassion on the faces of Jack and Mary. How much had it taken them to trust that Jacob would keep Rachel safe and then hear that she had been hurt? It must have nearly killed them.

"But that's not why we're here." Jack interrupted, Mary in his arms. His eyes were focused, his face hard and rigid.

"why are you here then?" Emmett asked irritably. "Now that we're all here, you can tell us." I caught Eliza's eyes quiver nervously up to her mate's face before she took her place at his side.

"We lost Dmitri's pack." Eliza whispered, her eyes on the ground.

"What do you mean, you lost them?" Emmett growled.

"Well, we've been using Jack's ability to sense connections between people to keep an eye on Dmitri's pack for some time now. That's how we've been able to avoid detection for so long." Eliza explained. "Jack's what?" I heard my voice, not meaning to ask the question out loud.

"I can sense connections." Jack answered. "I can feel the strings that connect people through there emotions. I can sense from the weakest indifference of two people bumping into each other on the street, to the strongest of passions and hatreds. It's very much like Jasper's ability" Jack nodded towards Jasper. "Only I'm not as talented. I can't affect the strings. Just follow them. It's good for tracking, but not much more than that. In Dmitri's case it was simple, I just had to find Rachel and follow the connection he felt for her. His was a combination of lust and hatred." Jack shivered at a thought. "Not the greatest of emotional combos to want to follow."

"So how did you lose them?" Edward asked, his arms tightening around me.

"We don't have the faintest idea." Eliza murmured, her shock and chagrin visible on her face.

"It could be because we were so far away from Rachel that Jack couldn't focus on that one connection. It's hard to focus on one connection when there are thousands to choose from when the end points are so far away."

"But as of yesterday, it just vanished entirely." Jack continued. His face was just as disappointed as his mate's. "I'm hoping if I see Rachel I'll be able to find the trail again, but it makes me edgy that Dmitri's has had at least a day without my eyes on him."

I felt my body chill, and not from Edward's touch. The threat of Dmitri was getting closer and closer. I could feel it closing in on us. Would we never be safe?

"We're here because we can no longer allow Dmitri these openings to surprise this young pack. We are too involved with the Quileutes through Rachel to _not_ get involved with this. His pack is too strong for them to have any hope of fighting them off. That's why-" Eliza paused and looked up at her mate for support.

"That's why we're asking that you help us with this. We're going to stay and fight. Eliza is going to try to head north and try to find the Masturi, to get their help and maybe a few of them to lend an assisting hand." he looked down at his tiny mate at the same time I did. His eyes were filled with worry, mine were filled with terror.

"The Masturi? Why would you want their help?" I asked, unable to hide the shaking from my voice. I had not forgotten Rachel's explanation of their power, of their unimaginable strength and speed, and their strict instinctive rules. The thought of them chilled me to where it felt like I had more ice in my body then blood.

"Because I know for a fact that they will help us if Rachel is concerned." Eliza stated.

"What do you mean?" Rosalie asked, her lips pursed .

"I'm not at liberty to say." Eliza said in a clipped tone to let everyone know that that subject was closed. She gave a meaningful look at Edward, who nodded in agreement to whatever she had thought.

"We are not asking you to fight with us." Jack continued. "We simply need a place to stay to keep an eye on things. Someplace where we can hide Rachel if it comes to that. I know that is more than we should be asking but-"

"Are you _kidding_?" Emmett growled, absolutely outraged. I flinched at his tone. Would he really refuse to help the Quileute pack after they had helped us battle the newborns? Would my favorite pack of wolves be left defenseless against this growing cloud that was Dmitri's arrival?

Then I saw the glimmer in Emmett's golden eyes. I saw the excitement, the thrill, the possibility of a fight. I saw how his muscles were clenched and looking ready for a fight at that very moment.

"I'm totally in. We were fighting newborns last time around, but I'd love a chance to take a few wolves apart." he chuckled.

One by one the Cullens threw in their eagerness to help, though Esme and Carlisle were sad that it would have to come to violence. What started off as relief- the Quileutes wouldn't have to fight alone- turned into worry and dread as Edward offered his assistance. We were doing it again, getting into a fight that could end the lives of any of my loved ones-the Turnhearts included already into that category- that now looked so eager for a fight.

"Okay, so we have the Masturi possibility. And nine of us-" Emmett thought out our advantages.

"Ten." Eliza argued. Emmett looked down at little Mary and laughed.

"You have got to be joking. Her? A fighter?"

"Believe it or not, Emmett, Mary is one of the reasons why we have survived so long. She's a fighter, and her telekinesis doesn't hurt either." Eliza stated, her tone filled with motherly pride as she touched Mary's beautiful curls.

"Oh yea? Prove it." Emmett challenged. Mary turned her beautiful round eyes on Emmett, a tiny smile creeping across her face. At that moment, an electric current made it's way down my spine as I recognized where I had seen a smile like that before. It had been in Volterra, and it had been the look Jane had given Edward before she left him doubled-over in agonizing pain.

Little Mary stuck her tiny hand out to Emmett and tilted her head to the side innocently. Emmett smiled at the hand for only a second before he was being thrown across the room by an invisible force. He twisted and lurched in the air, his body hovering 6 inches from the hardwood floor. His body cracked and groaned as it was twisted into impossible shapes. He growled in pain, his face unable to hide the terrorizing agony he was feeling, that we were witnessing. And then he was on his feet, his face completely bewildered and his body fine. Rosalie ran to him, unable till this point to make a noise as she watched him suffer by something no one could see.

The most terrifying of all came next. Mary laughed. She sounded like an amused child who had discovered the wonder of peek-a-boo. Her laugh didn't match her face and was too joyful after such a horrific display. My body was already trembling violently.

"You really shouldn't underestimate her. It irritates her to no end." Eliza said nonchalantly, but she was smiling too. She was proud of her child's ability. That sent more tremors shaking my entire frame in Edward's steady grip.

"What of Alexander?" Edward murmured, unaffected by the side display. "Where does he stand in this?"

"Alexander?" I asked. The name sounded extremely familiar, but I couldn't placed it. I had heard too many names of too many vampires and werewolves alike in the past few days to keep them all straight.

"Alexander. He's Rachel's oldest brother. He's also the one who got her family out of there when Dmitri began hunting her down." Edward answered for me

Eliza's eyes tightened at the corners. Her mouth shifted to one side of her face, her expression contemplative.

"He's a problem all on his own, completely separate from Dmitri." I was glad Edward was holding me. More bad news and my knees would completely give out under me.

"Alexander, lives by the old way. Blood is blood, whether you like it or not. He's coming for Rachel. Not to kill her but to take her back as a member of his new pack. He's coming with the right of the sibling blood between them to take Rachel away." the room was silent.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Jasper said to end the silence "So, what now? Should we contact the wolves? Tell them that we're ready to team up again?" jasper asked, eager in his quiet way to get the ball rolling.

Something shook the air before anyone could answer Jasper's question. A glass shattering howl rose up from the forest surrounding the house. It was unlike any howl I had ever heard from the Quileute wolves. It was a suffering, agonized wail that sent goose bumps up my arm and filled me with a feeling of dread and pain. The bay made any feeling of hope and joy pour out of my body, replacing it with an empty ache that stretched down from the pit of my stomach to my toes. I grabbed my stomach and ran to the window, where Eliza, Jack, and Mary stood, staring horror-struck.

Eliza's normal angelic expression was wrought with a pain that looked like it would have broken a lesser immortal as she stared out at the sea of trees. Her fingers shook as she touched the glass, threatening to shatter the window. She looked unreachable wherever she was, like she was hearing something far away and had to detach herself from us to catch it.

Jack's face was as pained as his mate's, but it looked as though it physically hurt him to hear the haunting screech. His arms were flexing in levels of pain as he held little Mary, who was unable to understand how the sound reflected her parents' reactions.

"What is that?" Emmett asked, taking a spot next to the window. There was no hidden joke like usual. And as quickly as it had appeared, the wolfish haunt vanished, leaving a ringing in my ears and a void in my chest.

"Oh, Rachel." Eliza murmured as she crumpled to the ground. Edward was by her side instantly as another howl filled the air where the last had ended only moments before. Eliza rocked on her heels, her hands covering her ears and almost sobbing from her place on the ground.

"Rachel's doing that?" I asked, horrified as the second howl ended, leaving the same effects as the first.

"I don't know what's going on. What's happened." Jack gasped. He was panting, his eyes closed with concentration. "-but whatever it is, it's devastated her. She can't even keep a form right-" the howling returned and the trees shook as a new wave of pain colored the tone of the scream.

"She's morphing from one form to another. She can't control it!" Jack let go of Mary and grasped his head. At the same time, Eliza slammed her eyes shut and jammed her fists over her ears. Edward, hearing the conflict flinched away from Eliza, jumping across the room in a single step.

"My fault." Eliza murmured, but not as herself. Rachel's voice was echoing through Eliza's lips, pain dripping off each forced syllable. "completely my fault. He's gone. He's gone. Damn you Dmitri. No, my fault. I'm to blame. I'm a murderer. I killed him. My fault. Selfishness." Eliza chanted as the howl rippled away into silence as Rachel jumped into her human skin. Eliza snapped her eyes open and was able to straighten up.

"What was THAT?!" Edward growled, returning to Eliza's side. Eliza shook away whatever remained of the vision she had received and looked up at Edward and me, terror in her expression like I had never seen.

"It was Rachel. Somehow I was able to touch her mind through Jack's touch on her emotions, and it was like she was screaming it at me."

"What was it about?" I asked.

Eliza shook her head. "I don't know. But I don't think-" another howl and Eliza was zapped back into the vision. Edward was too close. I saw him as he was hit with what Eliza was seeing.

"Gone. Gone!!! All I bring is death. It's my fault. He was just an innocent boy. I should have just done what I was told. My fault. MY FAULT!!!!" Eliza and Edward screamed together as the howl ended and they were brought back to us as the phone rang. Edward grabbed it, still gasping from what he had seen.

"…..Jacob? What is going on?!" Edward yelled into the receiver, panting.

"Jack, you have to stop reading her emotions!" Eliza begged. "I can't take another one like that." I watched Jack try to comply to Eliza's plea, his eyes clenched tight in his focus, his hands balled into fists, not moving. He looked like an agonized statue, cut forever in a pose of agony and pain.

But whatever he was focusing on, it worked. Another howl threatened to shatter the glass windows, but Eliza and Edward weren't bent over from the intentions behind it. Eliza kept staring out of the window, but otherwise seemed to remain herself, not glancing into the mind of her werewolf sister.

I looked back to Edward. His face, if possible, was pale. His eyes were wide with horror as he listened to Jacob. I ran to him.

"Edward? What's wrong?" he didn't respond to me. He wasn't breathing. His eyes were jumping around the room.

"And how are you helping her with it?" he finally asked, his voice dropping. A short pause. Anger flared in his face. "And how does Sam conclude that leaving her alone with this is going to help her?" Another pause. "Of course I'm going to help her. Your pack is obviously incapable of doing that." He slammed down the phone, crushing the base and the table beneath it.

"Edward? What did Jacob say?" I asked.

Edward looked at me, his eyes filled with pain I hadn't seen in a long time. "When Rachel got to the Res., a message had been left for her by one of her brother's wolves." he began.

"Her brother?" I asked.

Edward choked, nodded, and had to recompose himself.

"There was a fight. An ambush. Dmitri caught Alexander's pack off guard and-"

"Did someone get hurt?" I asked, frantically. My heart was beating too quick. My mind was racing. Based on Rachel's reaction someone had been worse than hurt. Much worse.

"Dmitri-" Eliza whispered, her voice turning his name into a hissing curse of a viper. Edward and I looked at her as she crumpled again to the floor with grief after hearing Edward's thoughts.

"Poor Rachel. Poor poor Rachel." she murmured over and over, inconsolable as she rocked herself on the ground.

"Dmitri what?" I yelled.

"Michael." That was all it took for me to understand. All it took for the pieces to fall into place. One name to explain the agonized screeches outside and the excruciating agony that kept Rachel from staying in one form. A fresh wave of pain hit me as another howl screamed through the forest, shaking the trees.

"Mi-Michael was killed?" I murmured, feeling my legs become weak under me.

Edward nodded.

I replayed Rachel's talks about her Michael, her face as she talked lovingly of the baby brother she had practically raised after her mother's death, through my mind. The younger brother she boasted about was so clever, how she had smiled when talking of how they used to play and laugh. The younger brother she worried about would never become a wolf and would be picked on because of his weakness, if not worse. He was gone.

"What are the wolves doing to help her?" Esme asked, putting a hand on her shaken son.

"Nothing." Edward replied. "they don't think they can help her. The best they could do was give her some privacy.""But how? How can Jacob just let her go through this without-" I fumbled to find the words to describe the shock I felt. Jacob, leaving Rachel completely alone as she dealt with the single most devastating thing of her life? This was wrong. Something was very wrong.

"Think about it for a minute, Bella." Jack murmured. His face was still frozen, vacant as he focused passed the pain of another howl. "In Rachel's mind, how would it feel to mourn for someone from a family you left with the members of the family you traded them for." I thought about it, looking at it from the perspective I had gained of Rachel from the days we had spent together and the words she had spoken through eliza only minutes before. Michael was gone. He was gone because she had chosen to leave Dmitri. Dmitri wanted revenge.

"_It's when I give in to that happiness that Dmitri forces me to have a reality check and leaves me more broken then he did before." _He killed Michael in cold blood to get to Rachel. All while-

I gasped. "She was with us when it happened. It was when we were shopping, wasn't it?" I asked. Alice nodded.

"Now she blames herself. Because she was happy, Dmitri took it away by killing Michael." I couldn't understand this kind of cruelty. It shouldn't exist. It didn't exist. It just couldn't.

"I've got to go talk to her." Edward stated, already at the door.

"I'm coming, too" I muttered.

"No. It's too risky." Edward snapped. Something had gotten to him. Something that he had seen in Rachel's mind. That something was telling him he didn't have much time left before it was too late to help Rachel.

"I'll go-" Carlisle stated. "-and keep bella safe. Having her near might help Rachel, Edward."

"Fine." Edward snarled.

"You coming, Eliza?" Edward asked as he hoisted me onto his back.

"I can't." Eliza whispered. "I'm part of that replacement family, Edward. One of the distractions that kept her from protecting Michael. I'd only cause her pain now." Edward stopped mid-step and looked back at Eliza. His eyes were hard at first, but then softened.

"I understand." Edward muttered before racing into the trees. Carlisle gently lifted me into his arms and followed after his son.

We followed Edward's shadow through the trees in silence, unable to keep up with his pace, deep into the forest but didn't have to travel very far. It wasn't long till Carlisle was slowing his quick pace to a walk and putting me on my feet. Edward was feet in front of us, staring at something beyond the trees. His face was drained of anything loving or joyous. I saw such anguish in his face that I knew Rachel was close by. He acknowledged us, made a motion for us to stay and walked into a clearing. Carlisle and I walked forward until we could see.

Trees were piled on either side of the clearing, victims of the struggle Rachel was facing. Trees centuries old, new growth, were decimated, uprooted from the sheer strength of Rachel's grief. Anything that had life was gone and the clearing was filled with a painful silence that was out of place in a forest. A bird, a squirrel, any sign of life would have made the area appear less alien, but none would come. The only living thing was Rachel, caught at the moment in her wolf form.

She was pacing in unrecognizable patterns, her eyes clenched shut, her voice snarling growls as she collided with the trees. The trees shuttered as she passed them, trying to cling to the earth with all their might. They wouldn't survive much longer.

Rachel threw her head back and released a howl that made me scream. My eardrums, unprotected by the house or any sort of distance, felt like they were pulsing and ready to burst.

Then it was gone, and I was barely able to hear the human sob to the sky over the ringing in my ears. Her voice was hoarse and agonized as she gasped for air. Before I could pry my eyes open, Rachel had already shimmered into her wolf form.

"Rachel." Edward whispered, as though to comment to himself. Rachel either ignored him or didn't hear him, and went on with her rampage, jumping from form to form so quickly it was hard to notice the transition.

The transformations came slower and slower, spending longer intervals in each form. She never spoke, never acknowledged our presence, just kept pacing and crying out the immense pain she was feeling in her heart.

She stopped in her wolf form, panting in exhaustion. She laid on the ground, her ears pinned flat against her massive head, her body curled in on itself, eyes shut tight. A whimpering sound was escaping from her throat that sounded more like a sob. She was crying tearless sobs that sent me to my knees.

Edward didn't announce his advance. He stood feet away, just looking down at her, his expression melting into pity and empathy as he heard her feelings.

I watched as he closed the space between them at something she thought and hug her form. She didn't react to the embrace, just continued the whimpering sound. She was lost in her pain, and not even a vampire could pull her out of it.

"It wasn't your fault." he mumbled as he started to stroke her fur. I watched, tears building in my own eyes as Edward tried desperately to comfort her.

"It's heartbreaking." Carlisle stated, his expression as pained as Edward's as he watched someone suffering from the one ailment he couldn't cure: heartache.

I listened to Edward respond to what Rachel thought, trying to help but unable to convince her of what he was saying. I didn't understand any of it, but saw as Edward start to lose, his expression becoming bleaker and more desperate. It was hard to watch without wanting to run out to them.

"Leaving won't help. I know you think it will but-" He paused to hear her response and wished desperately that I could hear.

"Dmitri won't get Jacob. You leaving won't protect him. You have to stay here." Edward's voice was begging, as he clung tighter and tighter to the wolf in his arms.

I watched in frustration. What was Edward hearing?

"She said-" A bell chime voice I had only heard once before uttered. I looked down. Standing next to me, her expression vacant as she stared at Edward and Rachel, was Mary.

"-that she should leave, if she wants to keep this pack alive. Dmitri won't stop trying to cause her pain. The Quileute wolves will be next on his list." Next to Mary, silent as the wind, was Jack. He looked down at his adopted daughter with a look of astonishment, watered down by the pain he felt for his other adopted daughter. Both stood out of Rachel's line of vision and spoke in barely an audible whisper.

"You can hear thoughts now, little one?" he asked, only vaguely interested. Mary shook her head.

"I just know her. We're readers aren't we? I've been too close to her for too long to not be able to understand her now."

I didn't have to speak my confusion. Mary was able to guess by my expression.

"Readers is a general term Aro put on us. We were bound by something in our human lives that came with us on the other side. We can _read_ those we are close to. It's strange that every member of the family is one though. Aro told me how rare it is. If we allow ourselves to become emotionally attached to someone, there is something that we can hear, even without truly understanding their language. Jack can see it in her emotions. I see it in her reasoning. Eliza sees it in her motivations. Readers."

I watched Mary for a second longer. She shouldn't be able to speak with such clarity and understanding. Yet, hear she stood, in complete control and understanding everything around her.

"Every time Dmitri strikes, it's to get to me." Mary stated softly, translating Rachel's words.

"don't you see? If any one of them don't come back, it's like I stabbed them myself."

"No. You're wrong." Edward countered Mary's words, speaking them only to the sobbing wolf.

"I couldn't bear it if even just one of them didn't come back alive." Mary supported herself against a tree, her face deep and full of pain.

"We won't let that happen." Edward stated as he rubbed his hands across her fur. Her body was trembling, but it was less violent then the tremors that had been running across her frame. "The Turnhearts are here. We're going to get help from the Masturi, and the Cullen family won't turn a blind eye and watch your family die, Rachel. We're here to fight."

All was quiet for a long minute.

"I can't see how having more people to die will help. I'm a lost traveler at sea, Edward, and there's no stars to guide me." Mary translated. Her words were becoming more somber, more withdrawn. Rachel was losing her adrenalin brought on by her agony.

"Even when there are no stars present, they're still there, Rachel. We will stop him. You don't have to give up on happiness."

"That concept has no place with me."

"Jacob needs you to stay, if anything to prepare him for the fight we're about to go through. Do you think Dmitri will just leave him alone if you're not with him? Do you think Jacob will be able to let you face this on your own?"

Rachel didn't answer at first, but I could tell that Edward had finally found the excuse to make her consider staying.

"I will stay. For now."

"Everything will be fine, Rachel. We'll beat them in strength, brains, and numbers." Edward stated confidently.

"More deaths that my existence will bring." I watched as the wolf form melted away in Edward's arms, leaving Rachel's human body crumpled on the ground. She had lost consciousness, having sobbed herself to sleep.

Nickolette: wow! A long and serious chapter. It's been awhile. Thoughts? Comments? Anyone? PLEASE COMMENT!!!!!!!!!!! Let me know what you think.

Preview: Rachel is down and almost out with the news about Michael. She most certainly is not in the mood to celebrate her 15th birthday, having never had a happy memory from birthdays prior. Bella is determined to try to help in any way she can, but what happens when Jacob calls her to the coast to speak with her privately? Jack has more bad news. He can't find the distinct path to Dmitri, but Alice can see the blind spot. Only days away, Dmitri is getting ready to strike. Chapter 20: Black Party Balloons and Miscommunications


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